


A Tree to Nurture

by TaoAndThen



Series: Roots and Wings [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel (Movies), The Avengers (2012), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Thor (Movies), X-Men (Alternate Universe)
Genre: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. References, Alternate Norse Mythology, Breaking Up & Making Up, Dark Loki, Don't Touch Lola, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/F, F/M, Fourth Reich, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Odin's Bad Parenting, Parent-Child Relationship, Pepper Gets a Suit, Ragnarok, Relationship Problems, SHIELD Agent Darcy Lewis, SHIELD is Falling Apart, Steve Angst, Superhusbands (Marvel), Unplanned Pregnancy, Yggdrasil - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-23
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2017-12-21 03:05:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 169,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/895046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaoAndThen/pseuds/TaoAndThen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The separation has ended and Dani is with Loki once more.  But he comes bearing bittersweet news of an engagement by Odin's command which he believes to be a pretense for something sinister.  Forced to return Asgard for a wedding that might not happen, Dani finds herself caught in something vastly beyond her control.  What toll could the insanity take on their relationship?  It's difficult to keep yourself together when the universe is coming undone.  Betrayal, heartbreak, and sacrifices await the young queen-to-be...assuming she has the strength and wits to survive.</p><p>On Earth HYDRA has resurfaced in the form of Neo-Nazi Wotanists and they've created a variation of the Super Soldier Serum for Aryans to grant superhuman powers.  The goal?  Kill all non-Aryans, find the Red Skull, and begin the Fourth Reich...in the name of Odin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shooting the Messanger

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for the delay; there were technical issues and I had a lot more editing/revising in store than I thought. So to make up for it, here's Tony's reaction to Dani's news, directed at Loki- http://hallpen.deviantart.com/art/fxxk-323663065
> 
> Also, for all you Darcy, Sif, and Pepper fans this story is less Avengers-centric and more personal life/drama tied directly into the action we all love and expect from the Avengers, the bad guys, and S.H.I.E.L.D. More people outside of the Avengers will have much strong roles than they did in GP but those three will play the biggest roles out of the non-Avenger crew.
> 
> That is all. Welcome to part two of the craziness that is Dani's life! :D

Prophecies were imparted to human and God alike of the Doom of Powers, the Fate of the Gods, a collection of tales crafted by the Norns. Though they do not tell the Gods of their fate an exception was made for the events of Ragnarok. Some Gods interpreted these predictions as metaphor out of convenience and fear or legitimate belief. Others believed these words to be literal. Everyone’s perspective changed when the most devastating parts of the prophecies had been challenged and eventually dismantled, causing the whole of it to unravel. Much to the frustration of the pantheon the Norns did not know the true prophecy; this information was too sacred even for them. There was only piece of information they knew for certain; rather there was one piece they could share, as they wouldn’t indicate if they knew more than they were willing to say. Only one could access the actual prophecy, one who had the ability to bear the relic which housed the truths of the impending destruction. Ragnarok, being beyond the knowledge and power of the Fates themselves, was malleable and subject to change pending the actions of the one who could commune with that which carried inside itself the truth. This person was chosen by the relic itself when it touches the corporeal form of someone who has proven worth, character, and strength. The relic is fickle and meticulous in choosing its living counterpart, its mouthpiece, and the only one who could understand its unspoken ancient language. This relic could foresee the potential destruction and the potential prevention of the End Days only upon merging with the sentience of the one worthy of holding it. None could learn its words other than the counterpart, leaving the Gods in a state of anxiety until the wielder had been found. This wielder was the one who tore apart the false story of the Norns. And only the wielder, the one who understood an unspoken language nor dead or alive, could unravel the riddle conjured by the relic, the predictions in cryptic form. They were derived from the wielder’s path up until the first encounter with the relic. Beyond that nothing regarding Ragnarok was certain except that it would happen, rendering the power of all future seers and fortune tellers diluted and blurred.  
  
 _…Forged from ice and fire betwixt_

_All came to be when nothing exists_

_The pillar rose and reached out its hands_

_Weaving fragile paths to fragile lands…_

* * *

  
**Danielle’s Bedroom**  
  
  
When she first heard the news she didn’t know what to think or say and resorted to her age old tactic of saying something witty or sarcastic to mask her concern. But she didn’t want to get back into the habit of her adolescent years. Unfortunately she didn’t know of a way to express everything she was thinking and feeling at that moment without causing an explosion or two. Danielle lay back down on her bed, hands resting on her stomach and breathing slowly to try and control her temperament. Nothing would be accomplished if she wasn’t capable of thinking clearly. Crossing one Hello Kitty slipper-clad foot over the other she turned to Loki, who was still sitting beside her. “What makes you think there’s more to this than what you’ve been told? That it might be a cover?” she asked quietly. She had mixed feelings on the prospect of an engagement alone. Would she have to stay in Asgard? As the fiancée of the future king she would someday be queen, wouldn’t she? What of her life and family here in Midgard? Words couldn’t even begin to express her gratitude towards Loki for trying to keep Odin from forcing this upon her, even if he hadn’t been successful. He had only her best interest at heart and that was enough for her. She brought her hand up to her face, turning it around occasionally to examine the ring from all angles. Even if she was confused as to how to react to the engagement the beauty of the ring, a tangible incarnation of his love for her, was a comforting sight. She could tell by how meticulously it was constructed and the kenning within that he no doubt crafted it, albeit magically, just for her. It was the only of its kind in all the Nine Realms, a perfect gift for the one who effortlessly stole his heart.  
  
Loki shifted uncomfortably in the chair as memories of many conversations and comments made in passing he tried to bury rose from their subconscious graves. “Numerous times both he and my mother made mention of how it would be difficult to maintain contact, let alone a relationship, if you were here.” Danielle nodded slowly. “She told me the same thing before I left. And that you probably already knew.”  
  
“I came to the conclusion not long before the ‘Burn After Reading’ poem. Had anyone else seen that-”  
  
“Then they probably wouldn’t want me in Asgard. Maybe you shoulda paraded it around after all,” she joked, trying to make light of the conversation to ease her immense frustration and confusion. He chuckled. “They certainly wouldn’t. It was on the day I received it that Odin had explicitly made mention of you…being queen.” She made a disgusted face. “Ew. Formalities galore…Yeah, I’ll pass. Unless I can chill out on a throne wearing jeans and keep dyeing my hair on a whim. Then maybe just maybe we could negotiate something.”  
  
“From the start I had told him that I was opposed to an arranged marriage because it would force you to leave your life and family here. If you were to do that it would have to be on your terms.” She gave a single assertive nod. “Damn right it would.”  
  
“He insisted that it was in my best interest, which I wanted to question purely out of residual bitterness caused by the forced separation…but he wasn’t lying when he said he wanted me to be happy.” The words felt foreign rolling off of his tongue. He had accepted his adoptive family as family once again courtesy of her influence causing him to question his old ways of thinking but Odin’s command caused stagnation in the process of repairing or recreating any semblance of a father-son relationship. His attempts at controlling Danielle’s life only worsened that.  
  
“And he thinks you’d be happy with an annoying lil’ thing like me? Wow. Looks like he didn’t take me seriously at your trial ‘cause he’s clearly still trying to punish you,” she grinned. “Maintaining my sense of humor is doing wonders for this insatiable urge I have to go to the kitchen and throw the table through the window…Anyway, you were saying.”  
  
“Recently he seemed less concerned with my well-being as he was having you come back to Asgard. The day before I came he decided not only would there be a wedding but you had one week to prepare to leave Midgard. Starting today.  There has been a very tense atmosphere in the palace as of late and no one seems to know why except for him, but he won’t talk. And there has been no talk of a wedding. No planning, no date set, nothing.”  
  
“How’s he been referring to me?” she asked, folding her hands behind her head. “I noticed a shift there as well. I believe it goes without saying that he isn’t exactly fond of you even if he does admire your intelligence and conviction, as he damn well should.” She smiled softly and shook her head. “Flatterer.”  
  
“At first I had to continuously remind him that you had a name and that name wasn’t ‘that girl’, ‘she’, ‘her’, or ‘the loud human with no respect for authority that you’re so inexplicably fond of’.” She giggled. “I like that last one.”  
  
“After he started acting strangely you were suddenly ‘the Savior of Asgard’ again. It seemed as though he was referring more to the title than its bearer.”  
  
“Not surprised. I’m sure he’d love to remember Asgard being saved but not the one who saved it.” She scratched her forehead and sighed. “So…looks like I’ll be going to see my parents today after all. Probably test out the DIGITAL 17 at some point so I can blow shit up. That would make me feel fantastical. No one has a freakin’ clue what’s got him on edge? No one at all?”  
  
“If anyone were to find out, directly from the source or otherwise, it would be me,” he pointed out with an eyebrow raised. “True. Well has he done anything recently, typical or out of the ordinary, that chronologically coincides with all of this?” He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Honestly, I couldn’t say. I’m not his keeper. And I’ve grown so irked with him over the topic of you, hardly to anyone’s surprise, that I haven’t paid much attention to him. Heimdall would know through his gift of sight, not because my father had confided in him. My mother might but if she does she’s hiding it extremely well because she seems to be just as confused as everyone else, if not more so. Out of all the people he’d make mention of the situation to one would think it would be her.”  
  
“…if the engagement really is just a cover and he calls it off after whatever he wants done is done, what’re we gonna do? No, never mind. Cross the bridge if and when we get there. What’s that Thai proverb Aunt Natasha told me once…? ‘Wait until the tree has fallen before you jump over it’.” Loki’s eyes lit up. _A fallen tree…? No, it couldn’t be. Surely there would be something more than Odin in a panic to signify that transpiring._  
  
“What’s with that look?” she asked curiously as she sat up. He shook his head. “Just a fleeting thought, it’s nothing of relevance.” She raised an eyebrow skeptically. “If you say so. But if your words come back to bite you in the ass I’ll probably laugh at you.”  
  
“I’ll give you laryngitis.”  
  
“Well enjoy being around my sorry self because I’m ten times as unpleasant when sick.” She dropped her cheek into her palm. “I’m gonna need to tell my parents right away. I have to. And getting through this week is gonna be rough. When this week is over…At least I get to see Fenrir again. Upside. They’re gonna freak about the engagement alone. But the leaving part.” She shook her head. “I might as well be getting kidnapped again. That’s probably how they’re gonna take it. Except this time there was a courtesy of a forewarning. I’ll do what I can to keep my parents from trying to kill you. My dad will think this whole arrangement is somehow your doing because a small part of him is convinced that you’ve made it your sole purpose in life to take his baby girl away from him.  And my father won't be too thrilled that his baby girl…isn’t…yeah, a baby girl. You shoulda seen the look on his face when I got my first tattoos despite the fact that one was his fricken’ shield.” She held out her wrists to display the tattoos she got in honor of her parents. “Poor father is so damn modest too; I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say the word ‘sex’. He says ‘making fondue’ for some reason. He tried giving me the talk and that conversation ended very quickly.  Why? Of all the things, why fondue? So many extra syllables…And it sounds stupid. I’m gonna get dressed and then we’ll head over and NO, don’t give me that look. You’re coming with. And now you’re trying to pout? You’re trying to pout to me? Good Gods you’re stupid if you think that’ll work…You’re coming with, no excuses, no whining, no complaints. If you could risk my temper than you could tell it to anyone.”  
  
He cursed under his breath. “Stop being correct, it’s annoying.” She chuckled. “Crybaby. You know that I’m not mad at you for any of this though, right? I don’t hold it against you. Not gonna shoot the messenger, and you did try to stop it.”  
  
“Yes, I do know that. But you said it best when you said there’s a difference between knowing and feeling.”  
  
“You feel like I’m mad at you?”  
  
“I feel as though you should be because I wasn’t able to stop it.” She sighed and moved closer to him. _Well doesn’t this sound familiar._ “If I was really pissed off at you would I still be wearing this?” She held up her left hand, palm facing her. “Of course not. Well, maybe, ‘cause it’s really pretty. But if that were the case then I’d wear it on my right hand. Wouldn’t mean anything that way.” She put her hand on his cheek and turned his head towards her, locking eyes with him. “And if it makes you feel any better, Odin’s getting an earful. Eight year’s worth of one.”  
  
“They’ll hear you all the way down in Helheim I’m sure.”  
  
Grinning she replied, “And what better way to ensure Sigyn’s misery than for her to hear lil’ ole’ me having a hissy fit over getting what she wanted? I wonder what Hel decided to do with her…Anyway, I’m gonna shoot my dad a text letting him know to expect company.” She turned around and crawled to the other side of the bed, dropping onto her stomach as she typed away on her phone.  
  
“Danielle?”  
  
“Yeah?” she looked over her shoulder right as she was about to hit ‘send’.  
  
“How much of a rush are you in to have this conversation with your parents?”  
  
“None whatsoever, but it needs to happen eventually.”  
  
“But not necessarily…now.”  
  
She grinned and tossed the phone aside. “I suppose not. What’s another three or four hour delay?” she replied suggestively.

* * *

  
 **Stark Industries, CEO Office, Four Hours Later**  
  
  
“I know, I couldn’t believe it either. It was the strangest thing. And she sounded so…jovial too. Not about taking time off but whatever it was that was keeping her from coming into the office today. Filling in for her has been incredibly boring though. She’s already taken care of most the work that has to be done for the next three days. So far it’s just been meetings and reviewing paperwork.”  
  
“Sounds thrilling.” Pepper could hear the grin in Natasha’s voice. “If only my day was that exciting. All I’ve had to do is dismantle a bomb before it could detonate and translate an intercepted message regarding a potential terrorist threat. I’m soooooo bored.”  
  
“Oh poor you,” the businesswoman replied sarcastically. “So what do you think could be going on with Dani?”  
  
“I haven’t the faintest idea. Especially if she’s acting like her old self. Unless it has something to do with…Today is November 1st.”  
  
“Yes, and?” The stand-in CEO raised her coffee mug to her lips.  
  
“Pepper, today is **November 1st**. And it’s been **eight years**.”  
  
She almost choked as she swallowed. Coughing it down she exclaimed, “Jesus Christ! I have to call Tony. I have to call Tony now.”  
  
“Yes, yes you do.” From the other end Pepper could hear Nick Fury yelling, “Agent Romanov, what have I told you about using the S.H.I.E.L.D. line for personal calls?!” Natasha groaned. “I have to let you go anyway it would appear. Good luck with that call.”  
  
“Thanks. I hope he doesn’t faint.”  
  
“That’ll probably be the Captain.”  
  
“AGENT! PHONE!”  
  
“пошёл на хуй!” she shouted, making Pepper giggle. Aside from the basics and sweet nothings, it wasn’t long before she learned how to say ‘fuck off’ and other profanities in Russian. “I’ll talk to you later. Enjoy your riveting conversations about the plans for next fiscal year.”  
  
“You can make your own dinner tonight,” she retorted with a small laugh. “I love you.”  
  
“I love you too.”  
  
“ **AGENT**!”  
  
“I HEARD YOU!” Pepper shook her head smiling and hung up. As she was about to dial Tony her phone went off. ‘Iron Mom’ was flashing on her caller ID. “Tony, I was just about to call you.”  
  
“Funny how that works out.  When you talked to Dani this morning, she didn’t say why she wasn’t coming in right? Just that she had a reason?”  
  
“Yes, about that-”  
  
“She texted me saying she was coming over and had news only Steve and myself could hear for the time being…and she was bringing company. Also she hopes the apple pie is done. Any idea what she’s talking about?”  
  
“Have you looked at a calendar recently?” she asked shocked that it hadn’t occurred to him, though it wouldn’t surprise her if he was actively denying that the eight years would ever end for fear of ‘losing his little girl to the throes of the unbridled passion and terrible decisions that we like to call our first love’. “It’s November 1st.”  
  
“Yeah, what about it?”  
  
“OK, let’s go about this using something you understand. Math.  Dani is how old?”  
  
“Twenty-four.”  
  
“Almost twenty-five.  And twenty-five minus seventeen is?”  
  
“Eight…”  
  
“So how many years have gone by since Dani was seventeen?”  
  
“Pretty sure I just answered that one,” he replied somewhat impatiently. “What’re you getting at?” She was about to explain but J.A.R.V.I.S. beat her to it.  
  
“Sir, Danielle has arrived.”  
  
“Hold on Pepper.” He pulled the phone away from his face. “Already? Did she finally finish her teleporter?”  
  
“If she had then she would be in the lab with you, wouldn’t she?”  
  
“Then how?”  
  
“I’m going to venture to say that Loki’s presence might have something to do with it. But I’m only a computer at the end of the day, I know nothing of Gods and their magic.”  
  
“That might explain- WHAT?!” A startled Pepper almost dropped the phone when Tony shrieked and she put a hand on her heart. _I’m glad I didn’t have to relay the message or that would’ve been right in my ear!_ “Pepper, we’ll talk later. I have to go reindeer hunting.” He abruptly hung up. Pepper stared at her phone and muttered to herself, “I…almost feel sorry for Loki.”

* * *

  
 **Avenger’s Mansion, Danielle’s Old Bedroom**  
  
  
Since she took all of her furniture and other belongings with her when she moved out the spacious room had been transformed into an official meeting room for the Avengers, as many of their team meetings at their headquarters were held in informal locations like the living room and once up on the rooftop when the entire plumbing system had malfunctioned and flooded much of the building. Loki and Danielle sat on one side, Steve and Tony on the other, the latter of her parents staring the God down. Steve was trying to remain as civil as possible but he too had an overprotective streak, he simply controlled it better than his husband. She intentionally kept her left hand in her pocket until it was time to tell of the engagement. The topic of his return seemed to be a great enough issue by itself.  
  
“So!” Tony began emphatically, leaning back in his chair and slapping the table. “You’re finally here to take my daughter away from me. Is that what this little meeting is all about? Here to ask for my blessings to have her hand in marriage or something else that I would never agree to?”  
  
“Tony, your idiot it showing,” Steve murmured.  
  
“Not…exactly…” Loki replied hesitantly.  
  
 _Might as well just throw it all out there. There’s no way to let ‘em down gently_. “But not entirely wrong either,” the blonde piped up as she pointed a finger in the air. Loki looked at her like she was crazy. “What?" she asked innocently. "It’s true!”  
  
“You make it sound as if that’s my sole intention for coming here."  
  
“You know I didn’t mean it like that," she replied putting a hand on his shoulder.  
  
“They don’t!” he said motioning towards her parents.  
  
“Well they do now!” She huffed and folded her arms over her chest, still keeping her left hand uncovered. Tony’s eyes looked ready to pop out of his head. “Wait, what?! So you are taking her then!”  
  
“Fuck it all dad, you make it sound like I’m being kidnapped!”  
  
“You might as well be!”  
  
“Told you they’d go there,” she whispered to Loki. “Well I’m not. But yes, I will…I will have to leave. Soon.”  
  
“Have to? _Have to?_ ” Steve asked suspiciously. “That doesn’t exactly sound consensual.”  
  
“Hey Steve, your idiot is showing,” Tony mocked. Danielle smacked herself in the face with her right hand. “Fuck both of you!” she snapped. “Just shut up and listen. For fuck’s sake…”  
  
“Watch your tone, young lady,” Steve warned. Her jaw dropped. “I’m twenty-fucking-four!”  
  
“No you’re not!” Tony argued. “I forbid you from growing up! Now you to that kitchen and have some apple pie and then watch Mary Poppins and beg us to let you stay up past nine!”  
  
“Dad, I will flip this fucking table over, crack your head open, and send skull guts flying everywhere!”  
  
“So this is what it’s like to be close to your parents,” Loki snickered. “And to think I’ve been missing out on it…”  
  
“Yeah, it’s just delightful,” Danielle muttered, restraining her anger and saving it for her parents. “Ya know what? Fuck it, this is going nowhere! Eight years have gone by, Odin is forcing us to get married, and it’s quite possible the engagement is a cover for something else.  I have one week to get ready to leave for Asgard for a ‘wedding’ that no one’s even started planning because he’s insisting I come back for insert actual reason here. There, I said it!” She held up her left hand. “Ta da!”  
  
Both Steve and Tony immediately went silent, looking nervously back and forth between each other and her hand. She sank down in her chair and braced herself for the tirade, very pleased that Loki was taking their panic and irritability in stride thus far and hoped it would stay that way once the accusations of this being his fault somehow started being flung at them. They tried to create a coherent sentence but neither could offer more than a string of shock-induced monosyllabic rambles.  
  
“Wasn’t expecting that,” Loki muttered to her. She said nothing, a blank expression on her face as she held up five fingers, dropping them one by one in a countdown. Once she hit zero she replied quietly, “Say nothing and just let them get it all out of their system.” Naturally Tony was the first to respond.  
  
“Forcing you to get married?!”  
  
“You hardly even know each other! Those two and a half months did not constitute as dating!”  
  
“Steve, that is NOT the issue!”  
  
“It’s part of the issue!”  
  
“It is part of the issue! And he used to be your teacher too! Oh God, it’s every old man’s fetish come true!”  
  
“Tony, I DO NOT want to think about our daughter…you know!”  
  
“What Steve, ‘making fondue’? If he’s only been here for a day then I doubt- Wait, what time did you come back?!”  
  
“Danielle Olivia Rogers-Stark, please tell me that’s not why you sounded so distracted on the phone this morning!”  
  
“I refuse to have Loki as a son-in-law! That’s all kinds of fucked up!”  
  
“Wouldn’t that also make Thor our son-in-law?!”  
  
“HELL NO, you are not getting married! Not to Loki, not to anyone, not ever! You’re not allowed to grow up!”  
  
“Then you be CEO again ‘cause a kid can't run a respectable company like Stark Industries,” she replied coolly. Tony turned red. “So you’re throwing your career away too?! I paid a lot of money for you to go to those prestigious schools in Europe!”  
  
“Dad, you’re rich.”  
  
“That’s not the point young lady,” Steve replied firmly, a finger pointed at her. “Back in my day young people understood the value of a dollar regardless of socioeconomic status!”  
  
“You’re throwing your career and your schooling away!”  
  
“Whatever happened to all those aspirations and goals you had?!”  
  
“You’ll get married when I say you can get married, and I say you can never get married!”  
  
“Danielle, I cannot believe you’re agreeing to this!”  
  
“Don’t have much of a choice father,” she said with a shrug.  
  
“No choice?!” Steve cried. “Are you listening to yourself?! You always have a choice!”  
  
“Why, ‘cause this is America?” she asked sarcastically, an eyebrow raised.  
  
“That, and because you never agree to do what people tell you to do! You never listen to anyone else! For once you  _should_ be stubborn and ignore what others tell you to do, and that’s an order!”  
  
“Steve, you just contradicted yourself. But like hell you don’t have a choice! I don’t give two shits what Odin says, he can’t make you do anything! You’re grounded!”  
  
“That doesn’t…What will that accomplish? I don’t even live here anymo-”  
  
“Then you’re moving back in and that’s final!” her father interrupted. “No backtalk!”  
  
She groaned loudly. “Are you guys done yet? Can we fast forward to the part where there’s some semblance of rationality in what you have to say? I’ll flip the table and scare you two into calming the hell down and listening if that’s what it takes. You know I will. I work in big business, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve flipped a table to get someone’s attention.” Both her parents breathed deeply, exchanging frustrated looks with each other. They wanted to continue their ranting but knew Danielle was right- she would flip the table.  
  
“Alright, fine, whatever, done,” Tony grumbled and folded his arms over his chest in a pout. Steve shook his head disapprovingly. “You’re…going to do this?”  
  
“I don’t know what I’m doing because I don’t even know if the engagement is real or just a cover for something else,” she replied exasperated. “Already said that…” She looked at Loki. “You wanna take over? You know the story.”  
  
“Did you just ask him if wants to take over?!”  
  
“DAD!”  
  
“…force of habit…And I regret nothing.”


	2. New Territory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://oldnorse.euro-talk.net/t8-basic-phrases You guys might need this for one scene.

**Danielle’s Living Room**  
  
  
“I don’t think that could’ve gone any better, honestly. But at least I got some apple pie out of it. Compensation I guess.” Danielle exhaled deeply through puckered lips as she sat down on her dark purple couch. “They calmed down eventually…But they only did it for my sake once they realized this is difficult enough for me as is. And it’s finally starting to sink in. How much trouble am I gonna get in for punching Odin in the face for starting this?” Chuckling at the thought as he sat beside her, an arm behind her back he replied, “Considering how desperately he seems to need you I don’t think you need to be concerned with anything of the sort. That of course shouldn’t serve as incentive to do it.” She smiled. “And who’s gonna stop me? You?”  
  
“Good Gods no. I never said you shouldn’t. And if you do, do it twice.”  
  
“One for me and one for you?” He nodded. She shook her head slowly. “You’re terrible. I love it.”  
  
“You’re one of few, if not the only.”

“Pretty sure I’m the only one.” She winced suddenly and put a hand on her forehead. “Fuck, not again,” she groaned. “Stupid migraine…The worst part about these? I just wanna sleep it off but it hurts so much that I can’t fall asleep. But if I take a pill for it then it knocks me out and I oversleep. I usually just grin and bear it.”  
  
“You are such a masochist.”  
  
“Well no shit," she snickered. “I’m engaged to **you**.” He removed her hand from her forehead and pressed his fingers to her temples. “Turn towards me and hold still,” he advised. “This won’t be pleasant, but it won’t be long either.”  
  
“OK.” She bit her lip and closed her eyes, squeezing tightly as she felt the preemptive pains explode into a full-blown migraine in a fraction of a second and then dissipate even quicker than it came. “Better?” he asked softly, his fingertips trailing down the side of her face. She opened her eyes, nodding slowly. “Much. Thank you. I’m so happy you got your magic back. Finally able to make yourself useful!” she teased. He put a fingertip to her lips. “Mind that tongue of yours before-” He stopped mid-sentence when she caught his finger between her lips, biting gently as  her obnoxious grin returned. “Danielle…” he breathed heavily in a warning tone. She let go giggling, eyes twinkling mischievously. “What? You said to mind my tongue. You never said anything about my lips or teeth.”  
  
Her parting reminder of how he wasn't the only one capable of twisting people's words echoed in his head.  Even if Danielle was the exception he still didn't like when she used his own game against him.  “Remind me again why I tolerate you?”  
  
“Hell if I know. We all have our vices.” She lay down and curled her legs up to her chest, resting her head on his lap. “Aside from Odin’s weirdness as of late, what else happened during our time apart? You know pretty much everything I’ve been up to…Your turn.” She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing to try and relax her tense body, hoping that hearing of his time in Asgard would help mentally prepare her for the inevitable move that awaited her for reasons unknown. “Have people finally started coming around?” she asked hopefully.  
  
“My family, yes. The rest…mostly. After you left Sif told me though she was initially skeptical, I must have done something right if I managed to find someone audacious enough to interrupt a trial and address Forseti and Odin in such an aggressively intelligent way.  Or was it intelligently aggressive?”  
  
“She did?”   _Not that someone's approval really matters to me but...I got enough crap from my own parents about this.  The last thing I need is Asgard getting me shit about it too._ He nodded and leaned his head back on the couch, resting a hand on her shoulder. “She did. And I told her…” He laughed softly and Danielle raised an eyebrow, recognizing that particular laugh. “You told her what?” she asked sharply.  
  
“I didn’t find you, you found me."  Her cheeks were colored with a light blush until he continued.  "And that you made incessantly harassing and berating me your new favorite pastime.” She elbowed him playfully in the chest. “Meanie.”  
  
“She had a point though.” He started stroking her shoulder with his thumb. “You did start it all. And you would be surprised at how many people are quite fond of you in Asgard because of what you did. Even Forseti is impressed with you, though he still takes issue with me...But I doubt that will ever change.”  _Perhaps now people will believe me when I say I didn't kill Baldr._  
  
“C'mon, enough about what I did. I wanna hear about everything else after I left.”  
  
“Reintegrating was difficult. It all seemed so foreign, especially without you around to bother me. You can't even begin to imagine how unnerving even five minutes of controlled volume felt. I told my father your absence was comparable to a reality. There isn’t much to say, I’m afraid. You were moving forward in your life here, whereas I had to start over mine there.”  
  
“Sounds like you’re off to a good start.” She opened an eye and glanced down at her left hand. _If this is all a cover, and there is no actual engagement, what are we gonna do? What am I gonna do? Even if it isn’t forced upon me I’ll still have to choose at some point because when he is king then…Slow down Dani or you’ll give yourself another migraine. Cross that bridge when you get there._ “I’m glad to hear that. Now if only my parents could follow their example…”  
  
“I don’t think they ever will dear, regardless of what happened over twenty years ago. You’re their daughter.”  
  
“They really like to go out of their way to make mention of that fact, as if they’re afraid I might forget.”  
  
The two of them finally had a chance to explain the entire situation to a much calmer Tony and Steve, calm of course being a very relative term. Loki also added that, if there were to be a marriage, Danielle would be free to return to Midgard as often as she possibly could within the constraints and responsibilities imposed by her new role as (future) queen and what Heimdall’s divine but limited power would allow. Hearing that put the entire Rogers-Stark clan at ease (again, relatively speaking). Danielle’s concern was how radically different the passage of time was; if she were to spend a day visiting her family on Midgard a week or so may have already passed on Asgard. A week may seem to be an insignificant amount of time but for a queen countless pivotal events could transpire within the course of a week.  
  
A sudden wave of tension settled upon the room making Danielle visibly cringe as soon as she felt it. It occurred to her that she should have been more careful with her wording after she heard Loki’s monotone, disengaged response. “Perhaps you would appreciate their overwhelming displays of affection if you knew what it was like to have your child taken away from you.”  
  
 _…Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck…What in the shit do I say to that?_   “…yeah, I probably would. To be fair though, you’d probably understand my irritability if you’ve been smothered like that your ENTIRE life.” There was an awkward silence for a few seconds and then he replied with a hint of mirth, “And I don’t envy you in the slightest.”  
  
 _Bullet dodged. OH FUCK I’M GOING TO BE A STEPMOTHER._ “I’m gonna be a stepmother!” She bolted upright and got in his face, startling him a little. “Hel just hated Sigyn right?” she asked in a sudden panic. “She doesn’t hate stepmothers in general does she?  Will she undo our bargain?” She fell backwards and started kicking the couch like a child having a temper tantrum, hands on her face. “I don’t wanna be in Niflheim, it smells an alley cat roaming the NYC sewers wearing my father’s dirty gym clothes!” she whined.  
  
 _Eight years has done wonders for your maturity._   “…even if she did dislike you she couldn’t, otherwise she would have done away with Sigyn herself,” he pointed out and she ceased her fit. Lifting her hands she looked up and blinked a few times. “Oh. Yeah, she would’ve, wouldn’t she?”  
  
“And I don’t think Niflheim wants to be in Niflheim, ” he added making her giggle as she sat back up.  "Wouldn't surprise me.  But shit, I'm...Whoa.  Six stepkids.  That's...a million more kids than I ever thought I'd have.  What the fuck am I saying?  I've never even thought about having kids before.  Been too busy running a business and finishing school and all that awesome stuff.  Was too busy focusing on me, getting myself back on track.  Rather, on track.  Oh fuck me running, a kid that's half **you** and half **me** sounds absolutely terrifying.  It would never listen to anyone because it would be too stubborn and think it could do whatever the fuck it wants so everything would be MASS PANIC all the time.  Who would want to babysit _that_?"

"It would never listen because it would follow its mother's example and be far too loud to hear anyone else, and eventually cause itself to go deaf."

"You make it sound like I yell at the time!" she exclaimed, realizing how loud she was when he raised an eyebrow at her.  "And I don't yell all the time, just...often-ish," she said quietly.  "Stop giving me that look!  And that time didn't count, you provoked me into yelling."

"You still did it.  It's not my fault you're weak-willed."

"...I'm ignoring you now."

"Challenge accepted."

"What challenge?" she asked confused.

"I thought you were ignoring me," he grinned.  "I...I am.  Starting **now**."

"If you have to tell yourself to ignore me, which requires actively acknowledging my presence, is that really ignoring me?"  She scrunched her lips together and looked away, arms folded over chest.  His grin broadened as he put an arm around her waist and pulled her against him.  "It's completely understandable that your parents are so frightened by the prospect of their precious little angel in my 'deft' hands," he whispered against her neck.  _Cute pun_ , she thought to herself.  _Oh shit, is he gonna...?  Yeah.  He is.  Well he can try!  I'm still gonna ignore him._  

"I'm not one to be trusted, especially with something so innocent..."  He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger.  "...just begging to be corrupted.  And so delicate."  He kissed her neck softly but she could feel his teeth lightly graze with great restraint.  "I'm not very gentle with my toys."

Her face went red, mostly with anger.  _Innocent.  Delicate.  Toy.  I'm gonna strangle him in his sleep!  Keep trying honey, 'cause it's not gonna work.  I'm still ignoring you._

"Still nothing, hm?  Alright, but you brought this upon yourself."  _Good luck.  You clearly need_ it, she thought as she rolled her eyes, still unfazed for the most part by his attempt to seduce her until he tapped into her greatest weakness.  “‘Suddenly, a new image had risen up before me, a lofty and cherished image.’”  Her eyes widened.  _No.  No, no, no, Loki don't you dare finish that line!_ “‘And no **need**...'"  His voice lowered to a husky whisper as He started to unzip her hoodie, but she held her arms firmly against her chest. "'...no **urge** was as **deep** or as **fervent** within me...'"  When she felt his warm breath hit her neck she bit her lip and restrained his hand to keep it from undoing the zipper. "'...as the **craving** to worship and admire.’”  Danielle shivered.  _I’m **such** a fucking nerd if a quote from a book is enough to make me weak in the knees…and give me the urge to rip my clothes off.  _ "Fuck it," she grumbled, throwing his hand aside and undoing the zipper herself.  "YOLO."

* * *

  
**Helheim**  
  
  
Hel stood at the top of the bone staircase leading to her throne, carefully observing her dismal realm below. She looked over her shoulder at her younger half-brother who was lounging casually in her throne. “What do you make of it all Vali?”  
  
Vali and Narfi were almost impossible to tell apart. Both were blond like their mother but inherited Loki’s green eyes the same as Hel. The greatest, if not only difference was their personalities; Vali was more sociable and laid-back whereas Narfi was serious and a little shy. The younger twin rolled his shoulders. “Ek veit eigi. I’m not in charge of Helheim. Maybe you’re just imagining things, Hel.” She quickly shook her head. “Nei. Something is wrong. According to my book all of these people are supposed to be coming here…But why? Why so many deaths, increasing with each day? There is no disease spreading across Midgard to deteriorate their fragile human forms, no madman on the prowl stealing lives with each passing second…But the gates have stayed open for almost five days and they don’t stop coming. The causes of death are nothing spectacular, nothing atypical, very commonplace, but there are far too many for me to not become concerned. Especially if this trend is happening solely in Midgard.” She narrowed her eyes as she watched more hapless souls meander into Helheim as if on parade.  
  
“Maybe grandfather would know?” he suggested. She let out a frustrated sigh and put her hands on her hips. “Even if he did I doubt he would come to converse with me over it. Still bitter over the Uncle Baldr situation I’m sure.”  
  
“It’s not your fault father wouldn’t mourn so he could come back to life. Speaking of people coming back to life, did you hear about the eight years?” She nodded and turned around, alabaster arms folded behind her back as she walked towards him. “I know far more than people believe that I know. The dead have nothing better to do than gossip, as you’ve just demonstrated,” she grinned making him frown at her. “Thanks sister. What do you think about it? Father going to see that human woman again?” She chuckled. “I’m delighted. I am very delighted. She was, she was certainly something else that one. By far her most redeeming quality is tricking your psychotic mother into having Fenrir snap her neck.” He laughed. “She deserved a lot worse than that! He should’ve ripped her limb from limb. I still think grandfather believes she wasn’t responsible for what happened to me and Narfi.”  
  
“Wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest considering the things she was responsible for.”  
  
“Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch,” he groaned. “What did you do to her anyway?” With a pleased smirk she replied, “Sigyn is locked in a room where she will only see and hear that which annoy and scare her most. Losing father to Danielle, the two of them together –in more ways than one-, Danielle talking, father talking about Danielle, losing everything she thought she would gain through her marriage, losing everything she thought she would gain through her treachery, all the things she’s witnessed and all the things she’s imagined. And then there’s my favorite little trick- the occasional sound of father’s voice saying ‘I love you’, with a pause and then ‘Danielle’. For eternity. I assure you baby brother, she’s beyond miserable.” Vali put his hands on his stomach as he burst out laughing. “That’s fantastic! Far better than having her limbs ripped off.” As he sat up he dropped his hands into his lap. “I wanna meet this Danielle someday. Do you think she and father are a good match?”  
  
Hel raised an eyebrow. “How should I know? I haven’t seen him in hundreds of years no thanks to my own bitch mother. I hardly remember him and what I do ‘know’ is everything I hear circulating from their lips.” She nodded her head in the direction of her dead subjects. “None of it is pleasant nor is it consistent. All I know is that I like her. She did the six of us a great service.” The cold winds picked up and Hel brushed her glossy black hair out of her face. She looked in the direction the gusts were coming from and narrowed her eyes in curiosity. “Vali, come here.”  
  
“Why? See something?”  
  
“No, I have a cookie for you. Yes, I see something! Now come here.” She pointed off in the distance as her younger brother approached her side. “What does that look like to you?” He squinted and then moved towards the edge of the pavilion to get a better view of the barren, tragic expanse of the cold mist-filled lands beyond Hel’s domain. “It…looks like the mists are moving around in a pattern. Like they’re swirling or…Are they moving?” He looked over his shoulder at Hel for confirmation. She was turning pale, though it would take a trained eye to see the difference between that and her already spectral complexion. “Where’s Narfi?” she stammered. He shook his head slowly. “Ek veit eigi. Why? What’s wrong Hel?”  
  
“I think…” Her green eyes shifted to the open gates. “I think I might know what’s going on. Ganglati!” she called to her manservant, who was near the bottom of the steps. “Go find my brother and tell him to come here immediately.” She returned her attention to the curious mists of Niflheim as they continued slowly stirring, shivering when the deep, rumbling echo of Garm’s howling traveled up and into her ears.  _Garm rarely makes a sound.  Is he startled?  I pray he's merely startled_ , she thought to herself.  
  
“Where’s the mist going?” he asked nervously as he stepped back. Hel gulped. “Up.”  
  
“Ek skil eigi…” he replied confused. She narrowed her eyes at him. “What is there to not understand?” she snapped. “Where are we? The bottom of Yggdrasil. And what’s above us? Everything. The only direction for it to travel is up.”  
  
“What’s so harmful about Niflheim’s mists?” he asked innocently. Hel was a girl of black humor, schadenfreude, and cynicism but rarely temperamental; her biting tone was an indicator to the dead blond of exactly how serious the situation could possibly be.  
  
“You know that the ice and mist of Niflheim made Yggdrasil when they touched the primal fires of Muspelheim, in the Beginning. Some believe that if they touch again…the process will come undone. And now it’s become public that the Norns were lying about Ragnarok, so no one knows what’s really supposed to happen.”  
  
Vali shuddered when he heard the word ‘Ragnarok’. “And if the mist touches goes up and touches Muspelheim’s fires and the tree is damaged, then that could be part of the real…you-know-what.  Is it...starting?”  
  
“I’m not sure, but the mists of Niflheim are practically coming to life, adjacent to the realm of the unworthy dead no less, and seem to be trying to escape. I have no idea what they could do if they came in contact with a living soul for too long, aside from my own.” She glanced down at her half-rotten body, an exchange for survival she made when she first hit the ground of the desolate tundra. “And it might be connected to the influx of seemingly natural, normal deaths.”  
  
“That’s a scary thought.”  
  
“Grow up,” she scoffed, trying to mask her own fear as Narfi jostled up the morbid staircase. “You wanted to see me, Hel?” he asked. She pointed off towards the wastelands beyond her citadel to the mist, then jumped in shock when she saw the moving mass had changed. Most of it still collecting and began rising in a thick ethereal, smoky pillar. But a rolling cloud had broken off and was slowly crawling along the ground towards Helheim like a snake weakened from starvation with its eyes on a baby mouse. Narfi’s eyes widened in shock. “What in Odin’s name is that thing?” he gasped. “What’s happening with the mist?” He turned to his sister who shook her head. “I'm not sure Narfi. But as queen of Helheim I need to ensure that in the event ‘it’ has hostile intentions it doesn’t touch my fucking land. You two stay here,” she ordered. She was about to descend the staircase when Narfi grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “I don’t think you want to do that,” he muttered and pointed down towards the gates. A large canine head with four red eyes was starting to poke out of the cavern before it.  
  
“Why is Garm leaving his cave?” Vali asked frantically as Hel stepped back. Lips trembling she replied quietly, “Ek veit eigi. I have no fucking idea what’s going on.” Just as she was rarely temperamental neither Vali nor Narfi could think of a time when they saw their older sister frightened. Nothing seemed to scare her, though perhaps that stemmed from their pre-adolescent idealistic admiration for her. She looked up, her eyes on the bleak clouds but her gaze piercing through them straight up to Asgard. “Get them out of here,” she whispered.  
  
“What did you say?” Narfi asked, head cocked to the side as Hel shook free of his grasp, seconds before the two were surrounded by a golden glow and forcefully pulled from their sister’s realm. She looked back down at the gate and saw the blood-drenched Garm emerging from the cavern, his eyes fixated on the Goddess. She groaned and rubbed her forehead. “I fucking hate this place.”

* * *

  
**Avenger’s Mansion, Common Room**  
  
  
“If Dani can find happiness with a reformed mass murder junkie then I’m sure there’s hope for you,” Natasha playfully teased Clint from the arm of the couch. He merely rolled his eyes in response and then looked at his two team members sitting across from them. “And you said Loki claimed to not want this either?”  
  
“It’s what he _said_ ,” Tony replied with strong emphasis. “And he seemed sincere in saying that he tried very hard to keep it from coming to this and if he and Dani were to ever someday get married, which they won’t because she’s not allowed to get married, it would be her call.  But it won't be, since she's not allowed to get married."  
  
“She isn’t only going along with it because of her feelings, right?” Bruce asked suspiciously. “We all know she’s smarter than that but throw love into the mix and, well…”  
  
“Has she ever even said that she’s in love with him?” Natasha furrowed her brow in thought folding her arms over her chest, trying to retrieve a potential memory of it. “All I’ve heard is ‘falling in love with’ and her joking response of ‘might as well be’, but never ‘I love him’ or anything along those lines.” Steve shook his head. “No, not that I’ve ever heard. Does anyone know when Thor is coming back? He might have some insight into all of this. Loki was under the impression that the engagement is a cover for something but he has no idea what it could be."  
  
“And once again Dani’s getting caught up in Asgard’s problems,” Clint remarked. “How much do you wanna bet that if that is the case the engagement is a cover for Odin to get her back up there to solve whatever his problems are? He’s not a big fan of her after she crashed his party so what reason does he have to demand she be up there in one week's time?”  
  
“I’d take that bet,” the other assassin replied with a slight nod. “But what if those two really do get married?”  
  
“Natasha, stop drinking,” Tony scolded. She threw her arms up in the air. “What is wrong with you? It could happen! She’s almost twenty-five!” He clamped his hands over his ears. “I’m not listening, I’m not listening, I’m not listening!” he sang. She smacked her forehead and started cursing in Russian.  
  
“Maybe this is how Victor Frankenstein felt when he realized how intelligent and self-sufficient the monster he created was,” Bruce muttered.  
  
“Why did Thor go to Asgard?” Clint asked suspiciously. “I don’t recall him ever giving a reason. Considering the circumstances that’s…unsettling.”  
  
“To say the least,” the leader of the Avengers replied and added confidently, “He’ll give an explanation when he comes back.”  
  
“The apple pie is gone, what do you have to bribe him with?” the archer joked.


	3. Second Opinions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some creative license with the Norse mythos here. I read an interesting article not too long ago about how Loki became the 'evil God' we know him as now after Christianity spread through Scandinavia, and prior to his character was radically different. Partial inspiration for the changes I made. If I can find it or anything similar again I'll share it with you guys.

Blue eyes lazily rolled in the fleeting darkness to catch a glimpse of the time. It was 5:41 in the morning, the second day into her last week on Midgard and roughly three sleepless hours after Danielle had awoken from her very bizarre dream. She wasn’t sure if it constituted as a nightmare but it certainly frightened her or she wouldn’t have woken up in a cold sweat with a heartbeat so rapid it felt like Mjolnir was violently slamming against her ribcage. Her eyelids were heavy and sore and her body was absolutely drained but she couldn’t fall back asleep; the second she closed her eyes the images would stir up even more clearly than before and though she had no idea what she was seeing it triggered an inexplicably familiar fearfulness. Trying to decode it exhausted the natural capacities of her brilliance, as if trying to recall a recent memory rendered opaque though it should have been perspicuous.  
  
It was bright almost to the point where it was blinding. Before her was an excruciating heat that melted her marrow and behind her a blistering chill which froze her blood. Her entire body was caught in between the two elemental extremes and it was being ripped apart from the inside by some sort of primal force almost sentient and if so, very angry. She had heard a voice booming and echoing all around her but none of its words had been committed to memory except for one line.  
  
“‘Blood and soil, retribution’,” she whispered to herself as she struggled to keep her eyes open. “Why am I dreaming about an emo poetry slam?” She glanced over at Loki who was very deep in sleep and she couldn’t help but grin knowing how much she contributed to the fatigue. No matter how tired her body was she refused to fall back asleep because of the terror that dream gave her, and decided to get up and get ready for the day just as she would any other- shower, coffee, work. Perhaps not the last part of the usual routine but if she were to ‘accidentally’ knock over her briefcase and have to pick up any important documents which ‘accidentally’ fell out only to find some needed a signature, a date, amending and review, etc, she would be obligated as CEO to address these and any other things she ‘accidentally’ noticed requiring the CEO’s attention. She kept her eyes on Loki to as she stealthily crawled out of bed to make sure she didn’t wake him, then took a quick shower and started up the coffee pot as she stared out her kitchen window while she waited for it to finish. She hoped a little sun exposure would help stimulate her serotonin levels and wake her up.  
  
“That experience was familiar for some reason. And ‘blood and soil’…Why does _that_ sound familiar?” she muttered groggily as she dug out her creamer and made her coffee. “I’ve heard it somewhere…Part of a doctrine or philosophy or something…The voice in the dream was familiar too but I have no idea where I know it from…” She sat down at her table, blowing on the mug before taking a few sips and then set it down, tapping her fingers on her cheek. “This is gonna bug me the fuck out of me. But my laptop is in the bedroom as is a sleeping Loki, and I’d rather not wake him…Frick.” She groaned and took another sip. “And in six days I have to leave and possibly get married but most definitely get exploited by Odin some way or another. Heh. Wonderful. What a wonderful way to kick off my last week.” She made a gun with her hand and pointed it at her head, pretending to fire. “Fuck everything...Maybe I should for a run and clear my head.”

* * *

  
 **Asgard**  
  
  
Heimdall was perfectly capable of transporting souls between realms without compromising them. But plucking a soul from one of the three lands of the dead and returning it to one of the realms of the living left it unprotected. Though the Allfather had not consulted the gatekeeper regarding his concerns, Heimdall’s gifts had shown him enough to know what was going on but he too lacked an understanding as to why it was happening or what could be done. What he did know for certain was that Niflheim was collapsing, taking Helheim along with it, and it was unlikely that even Hel herself would be able to stay for much longer. He wanted to take Baldr but without explicit consent from the Goddess of the realm he would have to stay. After Narfi and Vali were taken from Helheim their intangible forms were falling apart as the ‘physics’ of Asgard by design doesn’t support the security of the composition of the deceased, save for those of Valhalla. The remains of their young bodies were quickly located courtesy of Fenrir’s impeccable sense of smell and just as her magic not only sustained but corrected Danielle’s dead body, Frigga was able to reconstruct their corporeal forms.  
  
It took some time for the boys to readjust to the weight of a physical body again but once they were completely aligned they were bombarded with questions from Odin on the situation at the bottom of Yggdrasil, though they could only provide so much information as they saw very little before they were whisked away. At present they were more concerned about Hel than anything else but they made certain to mention the mists growing restless to the point where it seemed sentient, as well as Garm’s implicit threat and the opened gates letting in droves of dead humans. When they were done answering questions Vali took it upon himself to finally kill an ancient lie.  
  
The books of Midgard will say that after Loki had killed Baldr, his two youngest sons by Sigyn were killed as well. Vali had been turned into a wolf by the Gods and tore apart his twin and was slaughtered himself immediately after. Their entrails were what bound Loki to the rock he was supposed to remain chained to until Ragnarok. In truth he was bound indefinitely after Sigyn told Odin that aside from Baldr, he also killed his youngest children. Though facing a death penalty for what he had done to Baldr the Gods wanted to keep his punishment in their hands, not trusting Hel to deliver any as she was his daughter, and decided the best way to do so was to bind him by the remains of his son’s dismantled young bodies to serve as a constant reminder of his heinous offense.  
  
“But she was mad, she was so mad at father for killing Uncle Baldr that she…” Narfi trembled uneasily, pivoting a foot back and forth. Odin leaned forward in the throne. “Go on child, I’m listening. I know your mother was a terrible person with a greedy and wicked heart. I don’t doubt your words.”  
  
“I just don’t want to think about it…” Vali narrowed his eyes and stomped a foot down. “She was mad at him and she took it out on us! She was yelling and ranting about how he made such a big mistake and she would lose everything, and how she wanted to do bad things to him but she couldn’t, so she would do them to us instead because we were ‘expendable’. Sigyn killed us, not our father. And then she told you he did it to get him in trouble, so she could make herself look like the good person by staying by his side while he was being punished. He didn’t do anything wrong. Well, except for killing Uncle Baldr. Why did he do that?”  
  
“Vali!” his brother scolded. “Don’t ask a question like that!”  
  
“It’s alright Narfi, it is a fair question. The mortals will tell you that Loki did it with malicious intent. But not long ago he and I spoke about it. We spoke about many things during the last eight Midgardian years. He said that Höðr had tricked him into doing it, believe it or not. Höðr was very jealous of Baldr and, just like the rest of us, Loki believed Baldr to be immune to damage of any sort. The others would play games where they would throw knives, maces, and even axes at him and he would be unharmed. Höðr was blind but he had a good ear and he knew that Baldr had one weakness, that weakness being mistletoe. He pretended that he wanted to join in on the fun and chose a sprig of mistletoe to throw and no one suspected something so harmless to be lethal. Loki guided his shot at Höðr’s request and Baldr died immediately. Höðr was put to death because he admitted to having prior knowledge of Baldr’s weakness and murdered him out of petty jealousy. Your father was innocent but known for his lying skills and having quite the jealous streak himself. As such no one believed him when he said he had no a priori knowledge of the weakness as well. This is why he didn’t mourn when I tried to bargain with your sister for Baldr’s release. He was bitter over the fact that no one believed him. If I understand you correctly, because Sigyn wanted to use him as much as she could she needed Loki alive and so she…took out her rage on you. Doing so saved his and made herself appear to be even better of a person than we already believed her to be. But we know now that she was a vicious, cruel woman and your father…No mortal account of his character could be further from the truth.” Vali beamed upon hearing this. Green eyes sparkling he asked, “And that’s because of Danielle, right?”  
  
“ _Lady_ Danielle,” his grandfather corrected. “Also known as the Savior of Asgard. Yes, she did a great deal for him but she isn’t the reason he is not the evil creature the mortal accounts claim him to be. She’s the reason he never became what others were already beginning to assume he was, as she showed him there existed another side of himself that had been neglected, ignored, and undermined by everyone. Even by himself. And that side was the real him. She taught him to appreciate himself.”  
  
“I wanna meet her!” he exclaimed. “Hel doesn’t remember father well so she doesn’t know if they’re good together. Do you think they are?”  
  
“Your Uncle Thor would know that better than I. He helped raise her. The two did not always see eye-to-eye but he cares very much about her and he happily advocated for the two of them to be together when she was of age, which she now is.”  
  
“Do you think father will want to marry her now that our mother is out of the way?” he asked excitedly.  
  
“Well, about that-”  
  
“Vali, you’re being nosey,” Narfi scolded quietly, interrupting Odin. The younger of the two groaned. “But aren’t you curious? Even a little tiny bit?”  
  
“I am but I’d rather meet her before getting excited at the idea of a new mother. That’s not to say Sigyn was much of one herself…”  
  
“Hel said that Lady Danielle tricked mother into having Fenrir kill her. How did she do that?” Odin chuckled and patted him on the head. “Why don’t you ask her to tell you the story herself when she comes here? When your father returns she will be coming with him.” Vali’s eyes lit. “She is?!” he cried ecstatically. “And he’ll be here too?! That’s great! I can’t wait! How long?”  
  
“Six more Midgardian days.”  
  
“Six?” he whined. “But that’s sooooo long from now. Why six?” Narfi rolled his eyes. “You complain about everything…” he muttered shaking his head.  
  
“Do not!”  
  
“Do too!”  
  
“No I don’t! So what does she look like? Hel showed me her picture in her book but they’re all black and white. Is she tall? Is she pretty? What color are her eyes? How clean are her teeth?” The Allfather opened his mouth to answer but the sounds of commotion in the halls outside, specifically hearing Thor command that someone be taken to the healing rooms silenced him as referred to the injured person in question with female pronouns. Rising, he quickly told the boys to return to the room that had been given to them for the duration of their stay so he could look into what was going on. When he opened the doors he caught a glimpse a pale, limp, unconscious body covered in a decided mixture of foreign and intimate blood still gushing from deep wounds scattered across the ashen colored female form.

* * *

  
 **Midgard**  
  
  
Danielle had been staring blankly in the same direction for at least twenty minutes. Going out for a morning run had been a fabulous idea in terms of getting her mind off of what awaited her in six days until her body went on autopilot and she found herself in the park not far off from her childhood home. Cobalt gaze fixated upon a familiar little building, her thoughts had drifted off to the memory of a ‘chance’ encounter which occurred there eight Octobers ago.  
  
“Gotta be honest, I’m surprised to see you out and about. Thought you’d be…spending all your mornings ‘in’ now.” She looked over her shoulder and smiled as Clint, who was also out for a morning run sat down next to her. “I was having trouble sleeping,” she replied, “and I’ve been up since two something. I took a run to un-jumble-ify my thoughts. Weird dream and a lot on my mind what with…I’m sure you were filled in on everything that’s going on.” He nodded as he rested his arms on the back of the bench. “Sure was. If your fans ever found out that you were engaged there would be riots worldwide.” She gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Assuming I even am. I have no idea what’s going on right now. All I know is Loki’s back, I have a pretty ring on my finger, and Asgard is having a collective panic attack. And I am quite possibly the only thing comparable Ativan if we continue using the metaphor.”  
  
He nodded towards her hand, which was shoved deep in her pockets. “Can I see the rock?”  
  
“Which rock? It’s covered in ‘em. It’s super beautiful.” She looked around cautiously and pulled her hand out, quickly flashing the ring. “There’s a small part of me that wants to have Scotty beam me up to Asgard now so I can find out what the shit is going on but I’m afraid of never being able to come back. This whole thing is screwy. And what if there really is no engagement? Then what I do? Ugh, I keep asking myself that, and then I mentally kick myself for asking because I honestly have no idea what I would do. But enough of my super awesome life. What happened with Bobbi?” He shook his slowly. “A mistake, that’s what. I keep telling myself I should’ve seen the warning signs but we both know I see better from a distance.”  
  
“And hindsight is twenty-twenty.”  
  
“No kidding. Long story short, she didn’t seem to believe it was possible for men and women to be best friends, and just friends. Something about brain chemicals and evolution and attachment and I don’t know, she tried using her academic background against me. I was completely defenseless against that damn piece of paper she got at…whatever prestigious school she attended. She claims to have no issue with Natasha _personally_ but she wasn’t comfortable with how close we are. Suppose it didn’t help that I used to be in love with her, and I don’t even know if Bobbi knows that but it doesn’t really matter. She said I had to pick between the two of them.”  
  
“And you picked Aunt Natasha.”  
  
“I picked the one that didn’t ask me to pick,” he corrected and the blonde mouthed out a long ‘Ohhhhhh’. “Sorry it came to that,” she replied quietly and he shrugged. “So am I, but it’s done and over, and if that’s the kind of person she is then good riddance. Hidden agendas and complications aside, how are things in paradise?”  
  
The sides of her mouth jumped in a grin as her heart began to flutter. “Great. Really great. It’s nice to finally be able to spend time with him and not have to worry about my age or parents getting in the way. Or anything for that matter but those were the two biggest obstacles before. I really missed him and now…I’m happy. I’m just happy.”  
  
“Good. That’s what I was hoping to hear, that the wait was worth it. Your parents might be having a hissy fit over his return but had he not shown up and kept his word to you I guarantee they would’ve stormed Asgard and beat him to a pulp for it.”  
  
“They’d have to get to him before me. I already gave him a forewarning that if I didn’t see him again his physical well-being was in jeopardy. Nothing says true love like death threats to keep him from bailing on me!”  
  
“Absolutely. His compliance shows dedication and commitment,” he agreed jokingly. “Permission to offer some advice? I know how much you hate unwarranted words of wisdom.” She nodded. “Sure.”  
  
“Don’t think about it. I know it’s asking a lot but when you’re with him, is it on your mind? Having to leave? Odin’s secret scheme? Or are you too busy enjoying the time spent with him to give much of a fuck about anything else?” She kicked at the ground. “I…At first that was the case but now it seems like the closer we get to departure day I can’t keep my thoughts straightened out.” He poked her on the forehead. “Then stop thinking about it and enjoy the time you’ve got left here while you can. Panic and have a temper tantrum when there’s something worth panicking and losing your temper over right in front of you.”  
  
Instinctively cracking her knuckles she replied, “If you’re referring to Odin he’s the one that’s gonna be in a panic once I flip my shit on him.”  
  
“…one week, huh?” Danielle averted his gaze to avoid the pained expression on his face and nodded slowly. “You might want to head over to S.H.I.E.L.D. before you leave.”  
  
“Yeah, got some goodbyes over there too. I’m gonna miss messing with everyone there.” A hint of mirth in her voice she continued. “Like that time I kept switching Fury’s coffee to decaf and it took him a week to figure it out.  And then another to figure out it was me.”  
  
“That was hilarious. He was like a zombie. Natasha might also need you for something. She mentioned intercepting weird messages but didn’t elaborate. Chance to get in one last hoorah with the Avengers.”  
  
“I’d love nothing more before being whisked away to the land of endless gold and pretentious monarchs. And…getting married. Which is probably hoorah in and of itself, but ya know what I mean.”  
  
“Speaking of…Damn, this is still weird.” He scratched the back of his head. “You did something incredible, you know that? Seemingly impossible. Even Thor was starting to doubt the possibility of Loki getting his shit together; he just wanted us to stop treating him like Satan’s minion. But you did it. You didn’t even have to pout! In all seriousness though Dani, as hard as it’s been for all of us to accept the relationship he obviously cares about you. A lot. Try not to mess it up. You’re really lucky. Don’t ever forget that and don’t ever take him or what you have for granted.” She tilted her head to the side. “Ya think I would? ‘Cause I certainly wasn’t planning on it.” He snorted. “No one ever does, bud,” and repeated with tapering volume, “No one ever does...”

* * *

  
 **Asgardian Palace**  
  
  
“Heimdall said that she fought fiercely but was eventually overwhelmed.” Thor glanced over at the unconscious body of his niece, severely wounded and disheveled from her grueling fight. Her torso was covered in layers of thick bandages with subtle shades of rust red seeping and spreading. “The wolf guardian to the entrance to Helheim challenged her, the queen of the realm. She fought to subdue him and was able to send him back into his cave, but in the midst of the fight the souls of Helheim began to…Even he knew not the words for what happened there, but he said it appeared as though they were no longer subjects of Helheim. They did not engage her but they did not seem to express concern over their queen’s plight. Not even her manservant had paid it any mind. But the most alarming part is the arrival of…Heimdall wants to doubt his sight but what he saw cannot be ignored. There was a dragon.”  
  
“A dragon?” Odin asked with intrigued alarm. “There is only one dragon in Niflheim. Nidhogg came upon her and caused this, didn’t he?” Thor nodded slowly. “Garm had almost been completely subdued courtesy of her skills in combat but those wounds, they are no doubt the result of a swipe from the claws of a dragon. Heimdall brought Hel here before the beast could kill her but he still observes. According to him the mist of Niflhim continues to gather and move. Hel’s domain has almost completely fallen. And Nidhogg and Garm seem to be preparing, both still on the offensive.”  
  
“And her subjects?”  
  
“They still gather in droves, as Vali and Narfi reported when they arrived and appear to be rallying. Organizing perhaps is a more appropriate word.” The Allfather nodded slowly. “All of my doubts have been cast aside upon hearing this. These six days on Midgard cannot pass quicker. We need her.” He glanced upwards towards the direction of the room housing the Tesseract. “Forefathers be with us. Never before have we had such great need for their blessings and guidance.”  
  
“What do you anticipate the Tesseract will do?” Thor asked as he followed Odin out of the healing room, casting one last look upon his battered niece. _Were she not queen of the realm below, she would have certainly secured herself a place in Valhalla for fighting so bravely._ The Allfather shook his head and folded his arms behind his back, eyes downcast. “I know not what to expect from the cube. But after the Norns told me of its true power, as something greater than a key to a day between worlds, I know Lady Danielle is the only person who can use it. Since the Beginning we believed their web of lies to be truth and now…Even they do not know what will be. They cannot see the future anymore. She holds the power to write the future now. Only bits and pieces have been established because of her actions since this began, and I believe the picture will not complete itself until this reaches it end. She determines all of it.”  
  
“And…the engagement?” Thor asked with a suspicious raise of his eyebrow. Odin abruptly stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Do not speak of it.”

* * *

  
 **Stark Industries**  
  
  
“ **Who** is on the phone?” Pepper asked nervously, about to break into a sweat. “Ruby Summers,” the secretary in the CEO office repeated. Pepper sank back in her chair and sighed deeply. “Oh hell. You know who she is, right?”  
  
“The CEO of Frost Enterprise,” he replied matter-of-factly and somewhat condescendingly, surprised by her question and operating under the assumption that she –as the stand-in CEO- didn’t know. She ignored his tone, having harkened it up to the fact that he had secured a highly coveted position and let it go to his head. Shaking her head she replied, “More than that. Her mother is Emma Frost, an old business rival of Tony’s. She passed on the company to her daughter not long ago. Guess who Ruby is a rival of.” His widened and he nodded quickly understanding. Pepper continued. “Dani has destroyed her in the business realm numerous times but if Dani is number one, Ruby is number two. She’s ruthless like our CEO but nowhere near as brilliant at dealing with people.” _Which will come in handy considering who she’s engaged to…_  
  
“Why is Mrs. Frost an old rival of Mr. Stark?” he asked curiously.  
  
“He wouldn’t sleep with her.”  
  
“What?!” he exclaimed in shock and disbelief. “Why not?”  
  
“He can’t stand bottle blondes. Yet he had no issue with fake breasts…Then again he was in the closet, but God forbid anything come between the man and blond hair. Enter Steve.”  
  
“Pun intended?” he asked with a suggestive grin. She raised an eyebrow. “Just put the bitch on the line,” she commanded. _Dani may need to come into the office after all. Ruby Summers, no, Frost Enterprise always spells trouble._

* * *

  
 **S.H.I.E.L.D. Base, New York Chapter**  
  
  
“Another German message,” Natasha mumbled to herself as she adjusted the volume on her headset, quickly scribbling down every word she heard. The desk she sat at was covered with papers full of transcripts and translations, as well as her working theories on exactly what she was picking up. Her eyes widened as she quickly scribbled down ‘Blut und Boden’. “‘Blood and Soil’,” she whispered to herself and adjusted the volume further and wrote ‘HYDRA?’ up in the corner, scribbling a thick underline beneath it. “I seriously hope this is just a punk group, or Steve will…I have no idea what that man will do if they’re still active.” She felt eyes on her and looked over her shoulder.  
  
“Anything new?” Coulson, who seemed to appear out of thin air, asked in his characteristic serious tone. She nodded and replied bluntly, “Yes. Nazis.” His eyes widened in surprise, and then he narrowed them in suspect. “Are you certain?” he asked slowly. She nodded again. “We need to bring in Dani for to take a look at these translations I found. And not just because she’s a skilled linguist.”  
  
“Then why?”  
  
“They suggest interesting connections to say the least, and she’s become very skilled at detecting lies.” _She'll need it if she's marrying Loki.  What exactly does one buy them as a wedding present?  There's always the vodka cop-out...She is partial to the whipped cream flavored kind I buy now and then._  
  
“What sort of connections?” Letting out a deep sigh she replied, “Here. With S.H.I.E.L.D. Rather, within S.H.I.E.L.D. Potential infiltration.” He leaned towards his shoulder and spoke into his walkie talkie. “Director Fury, we have a code forty-two sigma. I repeat, code forty-two sigma. Agent Romanov suggests consulting Danielle for her thoughts on the matter.”

"Since when does she have time to come back and help out around here?" was the director's brisk response.  Neither Natasha nor Clint had made mention of Loki's return.  With a nervous grimace she piped up, "She's taking time off work for...personal reasons."

"Oh hell no.  Don't tell me.  Don't tell me that little teenage crush of hers-"

"They're engaged," the assassin interrupted, amused by the expression on Coulson's face; the poor man looked ready to faint.  He leaned over again and added in a shaky voice, "It would appear we also have a code E.Y.E. O.N. H.E.R. A.N.D. H.I.M."  His acronym earned him a baffled " _What_?"from Fury and a raised eyebrow from Natasha.  "Eight Years Ended.  Operation: Now He, Enamoured, Returns and Nobody Divinated His Impact...Motherfucker."  He broke into a grin.  "Catch the pun?  Divinated, because he's-"

"I get it Coulson, I get it," she said, putting a hand to signal he stop.  "Where do you find the time to come up with these things?"


	4. Now That You Mention It...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important translation-  
> Ek man vega þik eins ok svín!- I will slay you like a pig! (Old Norse)
> 
> FEELS ALERT. Some Dani/Loki dialogue in their last scene was inspired by the song 'Invincible' by Crossfade.
> 
> NEWS-There are plans for a third story. I won't say much, but it involves canon MCU...The third will be the last story because I don't wanna exhaust the characters/fandoms; that might change when Winter Soldier comes out though! I'll put the side projects up when trilogy is done. When I say side-projects I mean drabbles, ficlets, one-shots, stuff like that which I've already started. What can I say? I'm a Dani addict. She's fun to write and I'm so glad that you guys enjoy reading her she-Dani-gans (and the cuteness, now occasional hotness, that is Danoki).

**Earlier That Same Morning, Danielle’s House**  
  
“Damn that tedious security system,” Danielle muttered under her breath as she removed her light autumn jacket, which had been soaked all the way through and hung it on the coat rack near her front door. “It was supposed to be sunny all week…And I think I know who’s to blame…” She kicked off her shoes and slid them onto the bottom of her shoe rack to dry.  
  
“Seeing as I have yet to master the art of telepathy I saw no other alternative to bringing you back.” She was surprised that he was awake as it was close to 6:30, though the amusement in his voice didn’t surprise her in the least. She walked into the living room leaving a trail of watery footsteps behind her, greeted by the image of him sitting on her living room couch. He nodded towards the kitchen. “I saw the note you left. What in the name of Asgard would possess you into going out for a run so early in the morning?” he asked as he rose and approached her. She shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep. Why are you up so early? I didn’t wake you did I?”  
  
He ran his fingers through her hair, stringy and slightly curled from being out in the rain, and the magic in his touch dried it upon contact. “I don’t require as much sleep as humans do.” He placed one hand on her abdomen and another on her lower back, and Danielle felt a sudden warmth stir in her torso and permeate throughout her entire body, drying off her clothing and skin. With a snap of his fingers the trail of water she made evaporated and all moisture was removed from her shoes and jacket. “Hopefully you won’t get sick…You look terribly exhausted dear,” he remarked, noticing the bags under her eyes and how pale she appeared. She tucked her bangs behind her ear and rubbed her sleepy eyes, shaking her head as he slid his other hand to her lower back and locked his fingers together, pulling her closer in. “I’m not exhausted,” she said through a yawn.  
  
“Danielle, you will never succeed in lying to me. Especially when the truth is written all over your face… literally in this instance.” Her head slumped against his chest, making a slight ‘Oomph’ noise. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I wanna sleep. I’m super tired. But every time I close my eyes…” She shuddered and tightly gripped his arms as the fear began to rise up in her again. “I’m having this weird nightmare. Woke me up multiple times, getting more and more vivid each time too. For some reason it scared the shit outta me, and it all seemed familiar even though I had no idea what was going on. I’ve been up since two something because it’s really freaking me out.” She broke the embrace and trudged to the kitchen. “Coffee. Caffeine. Wonder drug. Need. Now,” she muttered through another yawn.  
  
“You’ve been awake for that long?” he asked with a hint of concern. “What are you seeing in these nightmares?” He followed behind her with his arms folded over his chest, head tilted to the side in curiosity. He couldn’t help but wonder if this sudden bout of terrifying dreams was somehow connected to Odin’s mysterious demands. She turned on the coffee maker and rested her arms on the countertop. “I really don’t wanna think about it,” she replied quietly. He nodded in understanding as she pulled out her favorite coffee mug; it was custom made, purple and read ‘Haters Gonna Hate’. On the other side here was a picture of DIGITAL hitting someone who strongly resembled Sigyn with the unibeam. “I won’t pry then if it’s causing you that much duress.” She chuckled. “I never said I _wouldn’t_ talk about it. I’m done with that bottling feelings nonsense, remember? Let’s see…” She turned around, back against the counter and tapped her chin in thought, cobalt eyes narrowed in focus. “I can’t see anything. I’m not incapable, but wherever I am, it’s so bright that I’m blinded. And in front of me there’s this overwhelming inferno and I feel like it’s melting me, scorching me from the inside out. But behind me, it might as well be fricken’ Antarctica –minus the penguins- because I feel like I’m coming down with hypothermia. Sometimes when it would wake me up I’d still feel really, really warm –feverish almost- or shivering from the cold I felt in the dream.”  
  
“And you feel those extremes simultaneously in this dream?” She looked up at him and nodded. “Yup. It’s weird. And it’s not just around me, it’s inside me too. Like something inside me changed and I’m somehow integrating with this weird weather. No, not changed. More like something was triggered. Something that had been dormant for Gods know how long. And there was a voice which I recognized but I’m not sure why. Everything seemed familiar but this voice I’ve heard somewhere before. Being roasted and frozen at the same time is something I have yet to experience, and I’m pretty sure it’s not on my bucket list. But this voice I’ve heard before in reality. It’s all around me, extremely loud almost as if someone’s yelling right in my ear. My ears were ringing every time I woke up. I don’t remember anything it said except the words ‘blood and soil, retribution’. And ‘blood and soil’ I’ve heard somewhere before too, here. It’s part of some ideology, I dunno.…I can’t place it and it’s driving me crazy, but thinking about it stirs up that fear again. It’s real though.” The coffee maker automatically turned off when the pot was full and she poured herself a much needed drink. “If it wouldn’t reduce my tongue to cinders I’d drink it straight from the coffee pot RIGHT NOW…” She blew on it a few times before raising the mug to her lips, but her eyes widened before she started drinking. Lowering her hands she added thoughtfully, “I can’t help but wonder if it’s somehow related to insert cause of Odin’s panic here. I know there’s nothing to imply a connection-”  
  
 _If only you were wrong._ “Not true,” he interrupted. “Do you…know how Yggdrasil was created?” he asked with blatant apprehension.  
  
“From what I’ve read the primordial fire and ice which eventually became Muspelheim and Shittacular Land, I mean Niflheim, touched. And that contact somehow bred the ash tree. Because fuck biology and physics.” He snorted in amusement as she started drinking like she was suffering from severe dehydration. “Interesting way of putting of it. But yes, that did happen. And some believe that if they were to touch again it would unravel the tree. Undo its creation.”  
  
“But isn’t the death of Yggdrasil…?” she began as she poured herself some more. Eyes alight she pointed a finger in the air. “That’s how Ragnarok ends according to the story the Norns cooked up! The tree is burnt down. And falsified precognition aside, that could still happen! There’s nothing stopping the fuckers in Muspelheim from jumping on the End of the World bandwagon and setting it ablaze.”  
  
“Exactly. Did Thor ever make mention of why he left for Asgard the day before I came to Midgard?” She curved her lips to the side. “Now that ya mention it he said that your father wanted to talk to him about something important. He didn’t elaborate but my dad said J.A.R.V.I.S. overhead him muttering something about the Tesseract being hyperactive. And you came, or rather you were sent to retrieve me immediately after…Never dawned on me that the chronology of your arrival and his departure could be connected. Then again I don’t really pay attention to anything Odin says or does. Until now that is…Good move on his part, I’ll give him that. Like fuck I’d go back if Thor, or anyone else for that matter, trying to make me at his behest.” She wrinkled her nose, superabhorred by the very thought. “That’s not a thing.”  
  
 _Locked up until he had use of me…No, that’s not the reason. Danielle’s right. It’s because she wouldn’t leave had anyone else come to take her to Asgard. No more, no less._ Danielle noticed the disappointed look on his face and tilted her head to the side. “Whatcha thinkin’?”  
  
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”  
  
“Liar face,” she replied bopping him lightly on the nose with her fingertip. “You’re making your liar face. Tell me.”  
  
“It’s irrelevant.”  
  
“Considering how frustrated you look that makes it pretty damn relevant to me. Or do we need to revisit the topic of ‘I give a legitimate fuck about you whether you like it or not’?” She noticed him perk up slightly upon hearing that. It wasn’t something he was told often, and he would have difficulty hearing it from anyone other than Danielle regardless. “So spill before I unleash my secret weapon.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Advertising it on a regular basis isn’t the best way to keep a secret,” he said monotone. “You pout your way into forcing others to submit to your every whim quite frequently.”  
  
“OK, fine, my trump card. And I’ll totally do it. You know I will. No one can deny the Almighty Pout,” she muttered in a creepy, ominous whisper.  
  
He merely shook his head at her silly behavior, trying to ignore the fact that he missed it. “Even if that’s true, that you would only leave Midgard if I specifically came to tell you Odin’s demand, that doesn’t change the fact that he confided in Thor first.” He tried to hide his bitterness but he knew well enough that she would catch it, and her response countered it more effectively than he would have anticipated. “And Thor, being Thor, will have difficulty keeping it to himself, feeling obligated to ensure the safety of Asgard if my father’s panic and paranoia is derived from a perceived threat.”  
  
 _That’s a pretty legit reason for being a little jealous._ “Damn near all of Asgard and perhaps even Vanaheim will know before you, in other words. You seem to be forgetting one very crucial detail honey. He’s kind of an idiot!” she exclaimed before diving into her third cup. “And where do you think Thor got all that from? Odin, duh. From what I’ve gathered your mother is far more sensible than him, and a total BAMF like I said at the trial, and you seem closer to her. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Case and point- I’m as obnoxious and foul-mouthed as my dad. I’m also as dedicated, industrious, and good at ordering people around like my father. Which can be a troublesome combination sometimes. Leads to kidnappings and makes people jealous to the point where they kill me. I guess my awesomeness it just too overwhelming,” she said haughtily. He let out a soft laugh. “Far be it from me to ever question your logic. Your brilliance knows no bounds.”  
  
“Sarcastic or not I’ll still taking that as a recognition of my brilliance.”  
  
“I see your arrogant streak has strengthened since I was last subjected to it,” he teased and she stuck out her tongue at him. “If it counts for anything you’re a relic I’d steal in a heartbeat, after which I’d proceed to lock you up until I have use of you.” She took a sip and then added with a grin, “In my bedroom.”  
  
“…I wouldn’t protest,” he replied quietly. She grinned and pinched his cheek. “You’re so cute when you’re blushing.” He swatted her hand away, leering at her slightly. “And when you’re crabby. Damn it all, stop being cute, it’s distracting. Gotta focus. Universe might be ending. Focus. Must focus. Having difficulty focusing.” She finished her third and final cup and set her empty mug in the sink.  
  
“You started it.”  
  
“Nuh uh! Must get back on track, must get on my back- ON TRACK! I said ‘on track’. Eschatology. Talking about eschatology. Why in the frick would Odin make a connection between me and the fabled end of the worlds? Especially if there’s some concern about the cube getting hyperactive? I have no connection to that thing. The closest thing I have is my father taking it from the Nazis and having it with him when he crashed and was cryogenically preserved for like seventy years…if you can even call that a connection.” She rolled her shoulders, a dubious look on her face.  
  
“You are the one who exposed the Norns lies,” he pointed out. She sighed and scratched the back of her head. “OK, true, but…how does that mean Dani equals prevention of the Doom of Powers? Anyone could have done that had they not let the New York incident color their perception of you.”  
  
“Name one other person who’s even remotely capable of that other than yourself.”  
  
“Thor,” she replied simply. He folded his arms over his chest. “He doesn’t count,” he huffed. She giggled. “Yeah, you go right ahead and tell yourself that. Right now all I’m getting from the limited information we have is that Odin is in a panic because he thinks the universe might be coming to an end. Because of some deus ex machina bullshit he’s convinced I can stop it and threw together this engagement as a cover to get me up there to prevent the impending mess. I undid the Norns lies. What does that have to do with me being able to stop the whole damn thing? The real thing? Just because I saved Asgard once? And how does the Tesseract come into play?”  
  
“His judgment is easily clouded by achievements. Keep in mind that the Æsir mentality, unlike the Vanir, is a brutish meritocracy. You’re judged by your prowess in combat and a strong will.”  
  
“Right, and the Vanir are the hippies of the pantheon. I wonder if they have suspicions too, if they’ve noticed anything. Granted they don’t have the Tesseract but something must be happening to tip others off that shit’s starting to get a little crazy.”  
  
“I wouldn’t doubt it. But I think it’s safe to say that wouldn’t be the result of any communication between us and them.”  
  
“Things still strained, huh?” He nodded slowly. “Very. They know of the Norns lies but there has been nothing to indicate they will be any different during Ragnarok. You proved that my…alleged role was false, as well as Fenrir’s. And though we don’t know for certain what’s going to happen anymore, we also can’t rule out the possibility that their fabricated prophecy wasn’t entirely fabricated, whether they are aware of that or not.”  
  
“‘Just a fleeting thought’, huh?” She looked at him expectantly, and he rolled his eyes in defeat. “Alright, I considered the possibility of Ragnarok earlier,” he confessed. “But there was nothing to indicate it before. Now the theory has substance to it. Hence it was a fleeting thought at the time.”  
  
She bit her lip and shook her head. “I can’t think about this anymore. It keeps stirring up that stupid nightmare. Maybe there is a connection after all if the topic of Ragnarok is doing this…Either I’m shaking because of the caffeine or I’m having anxiety problems again.” She looked down at her trembling hands.  
  
“Lack of sleep certainly isn’t doing you any favors.…”  
  
“You sound like my father…I already told you I can’t,” she snapped, coming off more abrasive than intended. She shifted uncomfortably and sighed. “Then again…the more I have the dream, the more I see. So even if it scares the fuck out of me I might be able to figure out what the fuck is happening to my screwy lil’ head. And I can’t go without sleep for too long. I get really bitchy when I’m overtired.”  
  
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”  
  
“…I’m gonna stay up all night to avoid this damn nightmare, and then kill you in your sleep. I will gut you like a fish!”  
  
“That’s a new one.”  
  
“I like having a wide repertoire. Adds an element of suspense to it.”  
  
“Of course it does. The thought of the universe falling apart pales in comparison to how utterly frightening you are.”  
  
“I just remembered that ‘sarcasm’ comes from Greek for tearing flesh. That explains why I’m always sarcastic, since I’m so damn vicious and terrifying and what not.”  
  
“This coming from the woman who cried over the fact that the Qin Dynasty burned books and the Ancient Library of Alexandria was destroyed in a fire.”  
  
“That was one time, just one time, and I was seven!” she said defensively.  
  
“Just once? Really? Are you **sure** about that?”  
  
“OK, _maybe_ it happened again when I was thirteen,” she mumbled. “I couldn’t help it! The teacher was so apathetic when she was talking about it…So much was lost when that library burned down…So tragic…”  
  
“Oh you poor, poor thing.  Think of it this way. If there is a connection between your bizarre dream and what’s going on in Asgard you have a third reason to punch Odin.”  
  
“Yeah, with bracers on. Should probably be a little merciful to save face,” she joked. “I’m gonna attempt sleep. Just to see if I can glean anything else. Take one for the team. Typical Dani, always quick to bend over backwards for other people.” She yawned and added in a sleepy voice, “But at least I don’t take issue with the roles being reversed anymore. Kinda hard to work in big business if you can’t take from people.” She glanced at her microwave. “Holy crap, it’s after seven. I’ve been awake for five hours. Can you do me a favor?”  
  
“That depends on the favor.”  
  
“Stay with me in case it happens again?” she asked quietly. The undertone of fear in her voice was unbearable. He nodded. “Of course.” She smiled softly and rubbed her eyes again. “Yay.”

* * *

**Stark Industries, CEO Office, That Afternoon**  
  
  
“I’m sorry Ms. Summers, but Ms. Rogers-Stark is not in the office today,” Pepper repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. “I can contact her via her personal number and have her call you back.”  
  
“Tomorrow,” the young woman on the other end demanded. “If I don’t hear from her by tomorrow-”  
  
“You’ll what? Blackmail her? Sabotage the company? I wish you all the best with that because if you even think about damaging her reputation or Stark Industries I will personally run your ass into the ground.”  
  
“It’s hard to take a threat from a stand-in CEO seriously,” Ruby mocked. Pepper grit her teeth. Whenever she had to take over for Danielle the influence Natasha had on her temperament was clear as day. “It’s not a threat,” she replied in an eerily calm voice. “It’s a promise. I’ll contact her and she will get back to you when she gets back to you. She’s a very busy person. It comes with the territory of having a successful business to run. Not that you would know considering Frost Enterprise took a massive nosedive since your mother passed it on to you.”  
  
Ruby exhaled deeply. “Tomorrow,” she echoed before abruptly hanging up. Pepper rolled her eyes. “What a little bitch,” she muttered pinching the bridge of her nose. “I don’t know how Dani deals with her nonsense…God forbid she ever get her mother involved in running the company again. The last thing we need is another table flipping incident. I’m sure she’ll be delighted to come into the office.” She dialed Danielle’s cell phone, waiting patiently for an answer. Instead she heard ‘Hey girl hey, you’ve reached Dani. Well not really, you’ve reached Dani’s voicemail. Which I am personifying by creating this lil’ narration. The machine is about to cut me off so I’ll make it quick and dirty. Leave your reason for trying to bug me and I’ll call ya back if I feel like it. Have a fantasticalicious day!’.  
  
 _Good thing that’s her personal line…_ “Hey Dani, I know I gave you the week off but we’re having a bit of an emergency here. Code Red. Yes, that Red. Ruby Red. Call me back or drop on by when you can. The sooner the better. She’s demanding to hear back from you by tomorrow but didn’t indicate why. And I think it goes without saying that Ruby Summers is her mother’s puppet so I’d prepare for a meeting with Frost herself just in case. Also I know why you called in. Don’t do anything your dad would do. I’m dead serious. I’ll talk to you later, hopefully soon. Bye.” She rubbed her forehead and pushed her chair out, making her way to the break room. _Unless being married to an assassin kills me first by making me a target, I’m going to die of hypertension._

* * *

**Frost Enterprise**  
  
  
A trembling hand tried to dial a number but she could barely hold still. Ruby gulped as she slowly punched in the number for her mother’s phone. She nervously ran her fingers through her dirty blonde hair as she waited for the inevitable verbal lashing.  
  
“Why hello dear,” an artificially loving voice greeted. “I take it you’re calling because you spoke with Rogers-Stark?”  
  
Ruby tapped her fingers on her desk. “Yes, about that…” Her voice trailed off nervously. Emma Frost had little patience but wonderful self-composure; however failure was something she refused to tolerate. She could perfectly envision the look on her mother’s face- upper lip curled in the corner, eyes narrowed and glaring daggers, and teeth grit.  
  
“Tell me what happened Ruby,” she replied, continuing to use the pseudo-sweet voice. Ruby shivered; that tone was the calm before the storm.  
  
“She wasn’t in the office,” the heiress explained. “I spoke with her assistant, the former CEO who was standing in for her, and demanded she get in touch with me no later than tomorrow.”  
  
“Mmm…I see.” She drawled out her words, dripping with disappointment and restrained frustration. “Answer a question for me if you wouldn’t mind. Do we have an important objective which must be met?”  
  
“Y-y-yes moth-ther,” she stammered, biting her thumb nail.  
  
“And whose help do we need to accomplish this objective?”  
  
“Danielle Rogers-Stark.”  
  
“And who was given the task of presenting a synopsis of our efforts thus far to gain her support?”  
  
“I was,” she said quietly.  
  
“What was that? You’ll have to speak up.” The maternal compassion was beginning to dissipate.  
  
“I was,” she repeated dejectedly.  
  
“And what did you not do?”  
  
“Not meet the goal.” She could hear Emma grinding her teeth on the other end and quickly spoke up to try and defend herself. “But she wasn’t there. There’s nothing I could have done. The stand in said she was going to be gone all day. What could I have done?”  
  
“Email her. Page her. Gain access to her private number.” Her tone grew more and more condescending with each suggestion. Ruby kicked at the carpet. “I’m sorry mother. You’re right. I failed. I wasn’t thinking and I should try harder.”  
  
Emma laughed at her pitiful apology. “Oh Ruby darling, you know I’m not the one you should be apologizing to. I don’t decide your punishment.”

* * *

**Danielle’s Room**  
  
  
Terrified blue eyes shot open, greeted by an alarm clock, a cell phone, and a picture frame on the bedside table. “After five?” Danielle whispered to herself, breathing heavily. “I can’t believe I actually slept…” She wiped stray beads of sweat off of her forehead. “Learned something important, but I haven’t felt this off-kilter since I had that Chitauri disease. Shit. Holy shit and a half.” She tried to sit up but felt something restraining her at the waist, tightening its grip at the slightest movement she made. She looked down and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t need to sleep, huh?” she muttered and rolled onto her back. Loki’s grip tightened and she coughed, trying to bring air into her lungs. “Thank you for crushing my respiratory system. I outta elbow you in the face.”  
  
“Try and I will paralyze you,” he threatened quietly, loosening his hold on her as he slowly opened his eyes. “How did you sleep?” She exhaled deeply, heart rate steadily dropping to a normal resting pace. “Well I slept…but the nightmare continued. I did see more. And it all freaked me out, just as I expected it would. At least I don’t feel tired anymore.” She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and rolled onto her side to face him as he slipped his other arm beneath her, holding her protectively. _How does he sleep in all that armor?!_    
  
“Then it wasn’t for nothing.” She propped herself up with her elbow and nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. You’re never gonna guess what I saw though. This is connected to the source of Odin’s paranoia. I’m completely convinced now.”  
  
“Do tell.”  
  
“Well the fire and cold touched right before I woke up. That was what woke me up actually. And my ears were ringing a little. But more importantly I know what was talking to me.”  
  
“‘What’? Not ‘who’?”  
  
“Yeah. I was holding the Tesseract. That’s why the voice sounded familiar. Because I’ve held it before. And correct me if I’m wrong but humans aren’t supposed to do that. No amount of SSS could act as a buffer for what that thing could do.”  
  
“That never occurred to me before…”  
  
“I think we were too busy celebrating Sigyn’s death to pay any mind.”  
  
“I may have been a little too elated by that to pay attention. What did it say this time?”  
  
“Just the ‘blood and soil, retribution’ like before. That’s all. And it’s driving me crazy not being able to remember where I know that from. I wanna look it up but I’m a little nervous about what I might find. Silly reason not to, I know, but…That dream is scaring me to death and I don’t know why. So who knows what might happen if I figure out what ‘blood and soil’ means?”  
  
“Fair, I suppose.”  
  
“I don’t know how I’m going to get any sleep if this keeps happening. Last time I was waking up at half-hour intervals. I’m amazed I slept so long today, but I do have a decent sleep debt racked up. The other weird thing is…I have this feeling like…I’m not fully awake. Or not fully here. Like when I wake up a part of me is still dreaming, still facing down that crazy weather which only someone from the Midwest would be able to tolerate. I feel like a piece of me is elsewhere. Didn’t feel that way when I woke up last night and early this morning. No doubt in my mind it’s related to the fact that the Tesseract was in the dream. Any idea what that might mean?” He shook his head. “I’m afraid not. But it is meant to act as a gateway between worlds. It wouldn’t surprise me if that extended to opening up the subconscious mind, seeing as it can be used to control minds.”  
  
“Makes sense. But why…why can I touch it and have it talk to me? Thor did say it was being hyperactive…and Odin needs to have me in Asgard…That creates more questions than it does answers. But I’m starting to get a clearer idea of what might be going on. The Tesseract fucks with space…but does it also affect time?”  
  
“I can’t say for certain. Why do you ask?”  
  
“The Norns can’t foresee Ragnarok. Maybe if the cube can mess around with space it can do the same with time. Maybe it can foresee what’s going on, hence its presence in my dreams that seem to be about Ragnarok. But why the frick is it talking to me?”  
  
“If it’s speaking to you that explains why Odin needs you so urgently.”  
  
“…no pressure!” she joked. Her phone started to play ‘Black Widow Spider’ by Bruce Springsteen and she sat up, reaching for it. Loki followed suit, keeping his arms around her waist and resting his head on her upper back, planting the occasional light kiss on her neck. “And that would be Aunt Natasha. Uncle Clint mentioned she might need my help with something…And I have a missed call from Pepper. I’ll check it later. Hello?”  
  
“Thank God you answered. Pepper said she couldn’t get a hold of you earlier. I was afraid I might not be able to either. Can you come to base?”  
  
“Um, sure. When?”  
  
“Now, preferably.”  
  
“Is this about the messages you were intercepting? Uncle Clint told me about them.”  
  
“Correct. I want you to give it a very careful once over before this reaches your father.” She narrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “How come?” she asked curiously, resting her free hand on Loki’s.  
  
“I can’t say over the phone.”  
  
“Gotcha.”  
  
“And bring Lover Boy with.”  
  
“…are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked slowly and skeptically, glancing at Loki who overheard the suggestion. He looked just as confused as she did if not more so.  
  
“We need a reliable polygraph. I already filed for him to have temporary clearance.”  
  
“Translations, my father, and a lie detector. What language are these-?”  
  
“Not over the phone,” she repeated harshly. “Just hurry up and get over here as soon as you can.”  
  
“I’ll be there in about twenty seconds.”  
  
“Did you finish building your teleporter?” she asked slightly impressed.  
  
“Nope. It’s organic, not mechanical.”  
  
“Just don’t teleport right into the building. Coulson will void his bowels.”  
  
“Noted. And thanks for the hideous mental image. See you soon.”  
  
“До скорого.” Natasha hung up and Danielle looked over her shoulder. “Well that’s a bizarre request,” she remarked and then grinned, eyes wide with mischievous enthusiasm. “I can’t wait to see the look on Fury’s face. Ready to go ruin peoples’ day?”  
  
“Always.”

* * *

**S.H.I.E.L.D. Base, New York Chapter**  
  
  
Loki couldn’t help but feel a familiar sense of entitlement as he went through security, especially with Danielle before him; she need not even flash her badge to prove she had clearance. It was one thing to taken in as a convict with a vendetta, but having a fiancée who guaranteed entrance to a place full of people who were nervous just by the sight of him was far more amusing. It certainly paid to have connections to somehow with such affluence and prominence. She led the way to Natasha’s usual work station when working on linguistics and code cracking and Clint was waiting for them in the hallway. He looked over both his shoulders to ensure there was no one within ear shot.  
  
“Not a word to Steve, or anyone for that matter,” he said quietly. “Fury is the only person that knows about the content of the messages, but Coulson is the only person who knows the implications. Natasha was so shocked when she got it she couldn’t help but blab.” He nodded towards the door. She grinned as she opened it. “You’re not gonna be able to keep watch if you’re so close,” she joked before walking inside. Natasha didn’t even notice them enter as she was too busy furiously scribbling down what she could pick out from the static. Whoever was sending these transmissions must have figured out they were being eavesdropped on, as the static intensified and she was experiencing increasing difficulty locating the source. Danielle walked up to her side and grabbed all the transcripts she had done thus far. Natasha looked up, taking off her headset and settling it on her shoulders.  
  
“This is even worse than I had initially thought,” she said cautiously as Danielle leafed through the pages. “I’m seeing plans for domestic attacks across the globe but nothing’s been on the news. And by news I mean the shit I can hack into. Oh crap! Mention of an airport in Germany and…anthrax?” the young woman gasped. Natasha nodded. “Tuberculosis was a cover story. Someone smuggled anthrax into the very airport you were in.” Danielle rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me I’m being targeted again. I hate being popular.”  
  
“Fame is better than infamy,” Loki reminded her. “True. Very true,” she agreed.  
  
“I don’t think this is you particularly. This is definitely an organized group but I haven’t been able to pinpoint a base of operations or where these messages are being transmitted from. They appear to be mobile, but whether they truly are or not is easily subject to debate. It isn’t hard to cover your scent. This is the most interesting piece I picked up though.” She handed a piece of paper to the blonde who scanned it carefully. “An infiltration?...Here?” she gasped again. “People are posing as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents?”  
  
“So it would seem. I don’t know why or how, but that’s where your boy toy comes in.” She couldn’t help but grin at the displeased look on Loki’s face after being referred to as Danielle’s possession. “Together you could probably weed out a handful of them. And once we get them in the interrogation rooms we might figure out who had the balls to try and destroy us from the inside out.”  
  
“What does this have to do with my father?” she asked, setting down the pages after she finished skimming them. Natasha took out a folded piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to her. After she unfolded it Danielle put a hand over her mouth in shock. “When did you pick this up?” she demanded. “Roughly an hour ago,” the assassin replied.  
  
“‘Blut und Boden’. ‘Blood and soil’. That’s from the Nazi racial ideology!” she exclaimed. “Oh shit.”  
  
“Now you see why Steve can’t know. And please try to keep your voice down.”  
  
 _I’ve been dreaming about…Nazis inside S.H.I.E.L.D.?_ Danielle thought to herself.   _What could that have to do with Ragnarok, assuming Ragnarok is what’s being stirred up?_ She noticed something scribbled out in the upper corner. Narrowing her eyes she was able to make out the letters Natasha tried to cover up. “…Not just any Nazis. You think HYDRA,” she concluded. Natasha shrugged. “I know it’s a leap but there has been a growing rise in Neo Nazi activity across the globe. What stood out to me the most was the name ‘Arnim Zola’. Wasn’t that the name of the Red Skull’s right hand man?” Danielle nodded slowly, swallowing hard. “Yeah…” she breathed. “Yeah, it was.”  
  
“Oh it gets better, trust me. There was also a ‘Mediziner Erskine’ mentioned. Correct me if I’m wrong but ‘Mediziner’ means medical doctor, doesn’t it?” Danielle sighed to confirm the translation. “The developer of the Super Soldier Serum.”  
  
“The word ‘Lah-bor-vair-su-kha’ was thrown around a lot but I haven’t been able to find a translation.” She slowly sounded out the syllables of the word she couldn’t decipher.  
  
“’Laborversuche’? Laboratory experiments,” the blonde replied. “And you think this could be HYDRA because of the name dropping and mention of experimentation. What about the connection to S.H.I.E.L.D.? Why do you suspect there are HYDRA agents posing as members of S.H.I.E.L.D.?”  
  
“They’re getting better at working under the radar now. I think they know someone is listening to them. What better way to find out than a mole? That, and the word for infiltration is ‘Infiltration’ and they explicitly mentioned the New York base.”  
  
“Over radio waves?” she asked in disbelief. “Fucking idiots. I won’t say anything to my father just yet, but he does need to be told soon. Preferably before I go.”  
  
“Why then?”  
  
“So I can give him a hug and remind him that everyone yields to Captain America’s shield, of course,” she grinned. Natasha chuckled. “Clint has been keeping an eye out for anything suspicious but hasn’t been able to detect anything from anyone. He said he wants you two to meet him on the upper level so he can watch from the balcony. Dani, you have heightened eyesight and if I understand correctly you, Loki, can damn near smell deception.”  
  
“And after these infiltrators are found?” he asked. She curled her lips inward. “They know too much and they’re a security risk. Should they relay anything back to whomever it is that’s pulling their strings-”  
  
“Traitors are apprehended, driven past the Canadian border, and shot executioner style. Then the bodies are disposed of in an incinerator operated by agents who represent S.H.I.E.L.D. over the remote parts in the province of Alberta,” the blonde explained in shockingly calm voice, earning strange looks from both Loki and Natasha. “What? I’ve seen them load up the truck before. Faces covered, handcuffed, ankles get shackled. No one had to explain to me why they were being taken away. But Uncle Clint told me the Canada part. He was drunk off some Canadian beer and randomly said to me that the brewery wasn’t far from the incinerator.”  
  
“…how old were you?” Natasha asked slowly, an eyebrow raised. Danielle held up eight fingers, smiling brightly. Natasha buried her face in her hands. “Jesus Christ, Clint,” she muttered to herself. “I’m going to continue intercepting. You two go meet Clint. Here.” Natasha grabbed a spare communicator she found and handed it to Danielle. “He and Coulson, who is going to be rounding the traitors up, are on channel five.” She adjusted the frequency and then attached it to the collar of her shirt. “What up bitches?” she greeted.  
  
“Nice to hear from you too, Danielle,” Coulson replied sarcastically.  
  
“Hurry up and get over here. Third floor balcony in front of the biohazard disposal lab.”  
  
“You wanna do this in front of the **biohazard disposal lab**?” she asked making a disgusted face as she waved goodbye to Natasha, who returned to deciphering.  "Aren't there ebola samples in there?"  
  
“I get a good view from up here.”  
  
“The break room is on the same floor! Why not outside the break room?”  
  
“Because Hill brought doughnuts in today and I don’t trust you around that much sugar.” Coulson burst out laughing from the other end and she quickly shot a glare at Loki. “Not a word,” she hissed as they ascended the metallic staircase.  
  
“Perish the thought.”  
  
“Ek man vega þik eins ok svín!” she growled as his smirk widened. “You really are working your repertoire.” She just shook her head and found Clint leaning against the wall carefully observing the floor below. “Anything?” she asked quietly and shrugged. “I haven’t seen anything suspicious. Then again I don’t really know what in particular to look for. But you can read body language and you…are you, so you’re bound to have more luck than me.” Loki approached the metallic railing and carefully scanned the floor below, Danielle immediately at his side.  
  
“So was I just being paranoid or was one of the security personnel…off?” she asked quietly as she rested her arms on the balcony. He nodded. “She was, but she isn’t a threat to S.H.I.E.L.D. She’s simply cheating on her husband,” he replied coolly.  
  
“Oh. Dandy.” Loki shuddered at her reaction and she eyed him carefully. “What was that about?”  
  
“I’ll tell you later,” he whispered. “It’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about since I arrived.”  
  
“Okee dokee. Hold up. Red head at three o’clock. She’s acting jumpy.”  
  
“She has good reason to be. She’s on HYDRA’s payroll. Rather low on the payroll, but still in their ranks.” Danielle leaned down and murmured into her communicator, “Coulson, take Agent Corcoran from aerial assault in for questioning.” Her narrowed eyes were fixated on the traitor they found.  
  
“You got it chief.” Through the most inconspicuous means possible, with lies ranging from phone calls to debriefings to performance reviews, Coulson was collecting the HYDRA infiltrators Danielle and Loki spotted. They had found seven when Danielle saw a familiar head of long blonde hair out of the corner of her eye heading their way.  
  
“Shit,” she whispered. “His ex-girlfriend.” Loki cast a quick glance at her and replied, “She’s hiding something important. Something she, I believe, is about to share with Barton.”  
  
“Ooooh, I wanna know!”  
  
“Control your volume and you might be able to overhear it. Black hair, other side of the balcony, holding a briefcase.” She nodded and relayed the information to Coulson, keeping an ear on the interaction behind her.  
  
“Bobbi, I’m busy right now,” Clint said assertively. Her eyes were red and puffy from hours of crying. “Please Clint, it’s really important. I know what I said was stupid but this-”  
  
“Stupid?  Really? I never would have guessed,” he replied acerbically. “No wonder you have a masters degree! You’re just radiating insight and intelligence.” She stomped a foot down and balled her fists at her side. “Listen, I’m not trying to win you back-”  
  
“Good. Because I’m not a prized possession to compete over. You have nothing to win, but plenty to lose. And you did.”  
  
“I didn’t mean it like that, I can’t think straight right now. Please, Clint, I’m begging you, give me five minutes. Just five.” He rolled his eyes and nodded towards the break room as he turned off his communicator, Bobbi following behind him wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Danielle stood on her tiptoes to see over Loki’s broad shoulders to watch them, jumping when Clint slammed the door before locking it.  
  
“I hope he hasn’t forgotten that place isn’t soundproof. Coulson, Barton’s temporarily offline.”  
  
“How come?”  
  
“I won’t say he’s been compromised, but reliable sources tell me he will be soon enough,” she explained, glancing at Loki.  
  
“Bobbi drama?” he asked with a sigh.  
  
“Bobbi drama,” she confirmed with an eyeroll. “I suggest Loki and I oversee the interrogations in case they try bullshitting. Seeing as this is an organized group they no doubt have some kind of story prepared. Might not be all that difficult to get away with lying their way out of it since we don’t have any tangible evidence to go off of like a paper trail. Who got shafted with conducting the interrogations?”  
  
“…me.” She grinned sheepishly. “And I’m sure you’ll do a fantastic job.” Her jaw dropped suddenly. “I need to go offline for a sec. Hold on.” She switched off her communicator. “A lot of people suspect that Nazis dabbled in the occult. Are you aware of that?”  
  
“It was more than just dabbling,” he replied knowingly. “Why?”  
  
“Some Neo Nazis follow a religion based on old Germanic tradition. Mostly Anglo-Saxon. HYDRA is run by Neo Nazis. I had a dream where the Tesseract was possibly warning me about them with the ‘blood and soil’ thing. I bring this up because some religious fanatics actively strive to bring about the end of the world. Nazis are all about ethnic cleansing, hence ‘blood and soil’ and their hierarchies. Do you think that, since no one knows what the fuck Ragnarok is, it’s possible that when it kick starts in Midgard the Wotanists are going to try and ‘end the world’ by creating the ‘New World’ that’s supposed to be born after Ragnarok ends? Like a Fourth Reich of sorts? They would follow the ‘blood and soil’ tenet of their ideology to do that by waging war on everyone deemed to be of an inferior race, religion, nationality, etc.”  
  
Loki hesitated to respond. “That…is a very disturbing thought to say the least. Humans willingly **trying to bring** Ragnarok to Midgard using eugenics.” She nodded in agreement. “Yeah. It’s fucking crazy to think about but it ties those loose ends we couldn’t figure out. So is that everybody?” She motioned to the floor below and he nodded slowly, still digesting her theory as she turned her communicator back on. “Heading down soon.” As she led the way to the interrogation rooms and holding cells they overheard Clint storm out of the break room and Bobbi still inside sobbing.  
  
“So what happened?” she asked quietly before performing a retina scan to progress further into the lower levels of the building. He shook his head. “It’s not my news to share.”

"That bad, huh?"  After a series of clicking sounds the locks came undone and the metal door before them slid open.

"Be glad you no longer live in that tower.  It's going to be rather noisy in a few months."

* * *

**????????**  
  
“You’re certain of this?”  
  
“I just witnessed it as I was leaving. Luckily I left in time. But they know. Even though we’ve been trying to jam their systems, they still know there has been an infiltration. They took seven.”  
  
“Damn it! Keep a low profile. How did they manage to take so many HYDRA agents?”  
  
“Danielle Rogers-Stark was there. Perhaps she was trying to detect us.” Emma’s eyes widened and a malicious smile spread across her lips. “I see. Perhaps this isn’t so bad after all. Thank you for the update, it is most appreciated.”  
  
“Of course, White Queen.” Emma hung up and motioned to one of her bodyguards standing in the doorway. “Find and kill that now former HYDRA agent. She’s a liability. Might get scared off by recent events and start talking to the wrong people.” He didn’t question her orders, simply nodding in compliance before leaving her office. She hung her head and sighed, arms folded across her chest.  
  
“Be honest with me. Where did I go wrong?” She looked over at the green haired woman seated casually at her desk. “My daughter is incompetent, my husband was a traitor, and my underlings are pathetic.  I thought convincing Ruby that Rogers-Stark was essential to our plans would make her work harder.  That clearly backfired.”  
  
“You can’t blame yourself Emma,” the woman, known only to the world as Viper and Madame Hydra to the subordinates of the organization, said encouragingly. “Not long from now we’ll have replicated Dr. Erskine’s serum, with a few delicious modifications thanks to the notes your grandfather left behind.”  
  
“Arnim Zola, Gods bless his soul,” she said quietly to herself with utmost pride. Chuckling Viper added, “And once the serum is done we’ll have the founded of HYDRA in our ranks and under his guidance we can do away with all undesirables.”  
  
“Including Ruby?” she asked hopefully. “She’s as pathetic as her father. No backbone and far too **compassionate** for her own good.” She emphasized the word ‘compassionate’ with utter disgust. “I can’t help but wonder if this is a test of conviction delivered by Wotan.”  
  
“That’s certainly possible.”  
  
“I’m going to the lab to see our progress on the Persona Adaptability Gene Enhancement. I also have the perfect test subject for it.”  
  
“Oh? And who would that be?” Viper asked with a devious grin and malign curiosity. “Ruby has a new assistant,” the blonde, clad in all white replied. “Blonde hair, blue eyes. I believe her name is Illyana.”  
  
“Perfect. Before you go, would you mind getting out the red wine? I think you need some to unwind…and I just want a drink.”  
  
“Wine sounds lovely right now. But so does success. And seeing as I must work from the sidelines I feel nothing will be accomplished with Ruby as CEO.”  
  
“Danielle Rogers-Stark is the closest thing we have to the epitome of the ideal Aryan woman one could hope to find here in the USA. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and German blood through Anthony Stark. I researched her family background; Stark is a German name. Anyway, I’m sure once Ruby tells her about our experimentations it will pique her interest, seeing as she inherited the original serum, the very same serum Johann Schmidt has. And when she comes to see it for herself, perhaps even help perfect the formula, she’ll understand our cause. She’ll see the light and side with HYDRA,” Viper replied confidently.  
  
“What about Captain Rogers? I doubt he would take kindly to his daughter joining his age old enemies.” Emma opened the wine cabinet and reached for a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and two wine glasses. She went up to the desk and poured for the both of them.  
  
“She’s an adult. She can make her own decisions,” Viper replied coolly and held up her glass. Emma clinked hers against it. “Heil HYDRA,” they said in unison.

* * *

**Danielle’s House**  
  
  
The SSS inheritor pulled her rolling dry erase board out of her at home office and wheeled it into her bedroom to scribble down every thought, theory, and notion she had regarding the events which recently transpired. She hadn’t seen Clint since his awkward confrontation with Bobbi before their conversation in the break room and wanted to call and see if he was alright, but she knew Clint well enough to know that Natasha was the only person he would confide in.  
  
The interrogations lasted until roughly 8:30 and after they returned to her home she started working right away on organizing her thoughts, as well as listening to Pepper’s frustrated voicemail. Ruby Summers was a sad excuse for a businessperson, only inheriting her company because her mother wanted to step down and she had no one else to give it to. She feigned assertion and confidence. Usually when Ruby demanded something of another company she was acting as Emma’s mouthpiece. Danielle made a mental note to call her tomorrow, after which she realized that tomorrow would be day three of seven. Up in the corner of her dry erase board she made tally marks to keep track.  
  
“OK, everything is no longer ruminating in my head,” she announced, capping the marker and stepping back from the board to admire her work. It was covered in drawings of Yggdrasil, notes on her dreams and their progression, record of what the Tesseract had told her thus far, certainties, maybes, and things to rule out. “I must admit, I do feel a little more relaxed now. Especially with those HYDRA agents out of S.H.I.E.L.D. and soon to be nothing but a pile of ashes in Middle of Nowhere, Alberta, Canada. Getting my thoughts out in tangible form has really cleared my head. Still terrified for reasons unknown, but at least I can take a stab at what’s terrifying me. All in all, day two was productive I’d say.” She flipped the dry erase board over to the other blank side so the images of her somewhat defragmented nightmare wouldn’t be staring her down in the comfort of her own bedroom. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist a faint blush swept over her cheeks as she put her hands on top of Loki’s.  
  
“I’m glad you’re feeling better.” She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Kinda hard not to when you’re around. Oh, didn’t you say there was something you wanted to talk to me about?” Alluding to the conversation made him shudder nervously again. He tried to separate from her but she spun on her heel and put her arms around him. “Nice try, but you know better mister. What’s up?”  
  
He hesitated for a brief moment as he tried to string the right words together. “There is no easy way for me to say this out of fear that you might…Damn it,” he muttered, cursing his inability to speak. “Fear that I might what?” she asked in a quiet, soothing voice.  
  
Avoiding her gentle gaze he replied, “I fear that you will longer trust me.”  
  
“Why’s that?” she asked surprised.  
  
“Regardless of whether or not we’re going to be forced into marrying each other I…I’m not letting go of you,” he said firmly as if the naysayers were listening. “That said it’s best you hear this from me. If I could talk.”  
  
“Appreciated. But before you continue, do keep in mind that I was there when Forseti rattled off that list of charges. And none of that fazed me. At all.”  
  
“Which still baffles me to this day, but you already knew all of it. This…it’s not a secret but it isn’t spoken of in polite conversation. I’m sure you would have found out eventually which is the other reason I’d rather tell you myself.” He paused, and then continued with words she never thought she would hear. “Do you have any idea how intimidating you are? Somehow you managed to completely dissect me. I resisted your efforts but doing so felt…unnatural. I used to think that I was untouchable, almost invincible because I closed myself off to everyone around me. There’s a reason I call you a parasite and it’s not because you enjoy clinging to me like a magnet. I can’t stop thinking about you, everything reminds me of you in some way or another, and I can’t conceive of a future in which you have no part. You’ve woven your way into every aspect of my life Danielle. Through means I don’t think I will ever understand you were able to pry me open, albeit a little forcibly at first. It took time but I realized I wanted that, which frustrated me further because I didn’t want to want it. Not initially.  You have bewitched me and, unlike Amora, you didn’t have to resort to petty magic. Do you have any idea how much pressure I feel to ensure that everything is perfect for you? And…and I have absolutely no idea how to do that. But I’ll be damned even more than I already am if I don’t try.” She was shocked by the hints insecurity in his voice, something she hadn’t heard in eight years and was still surprised to hear.  
  
Her breathing relaxed and she slid her hands to his upper arms, massaging slowly. She hoped her calm demeanor would rub off on him. “And you’re afraid of losing me because of this thing you're trying to say. On a scale of one to ten, ten being absolutely not, how surprised would you be if I said I was dealing with the same concerns? You’re not the only one who closed yourself off, or was pried open and forced out of that comfort zone of isolation. Every time I look at you I feel myself become completely dismantled and reassembled all over again.  Every fucking time.  But that concern, that’s just how relationships work and that can’t be avoided. The risks of screwing things up are always there. And I don’t know what I can do or have to do to be the best girlfriend, fiancée, what-fucking-ever for you. Ya think I'm not a little worried myself?” Clint’s advice echoed in her mind. Laying her head against his chest she continued. “If you really wanna be with someone you willingly put your head on the chopping block. You know that person is the one person who holds the most power over you because you give them everything you have to give, and you trust them not to damage it. And you’re more than worth running that risk. I do trust you. You have yet to give me a reason not to, past events aside because that was then and this is now."  
  
 _You truly are my rock to cling to in the most turbulent of times._ “…it’s not that I fear you having that kind of influence. It’s the fact that you do, that I welcome it eagerly, and it reciprocates. My real fear is that you’re running too great a risk.” She shook her head, nuzzling against his neck in the process because of their almost evenly matched height. “Again, I trust you. It would take a lot to change that. You would have to actively try to change that. And good luck if ya do undertake that challenge because I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but I’m kinda stubborn. I don't wanna hear any of that 'you deserve better' crap either. If I want something I go out of my way to have it, and I already told you I'm holding on to you for as long as I possibly can.  Even if there is 'better' I'd still want you and only you.  If I'm running a huge risk then so be it.  That's my decision to make.  But why are you so afraid that I’m making a mistake?”  
  
“Consider my ‘track record’ for a moment.”  
  
“The adolescent fling with Angrboda and a loveless, miserable marriage to Sigyn.”  
  
“If that’s how the chronology has been recorded here it’s incorrect,” he replied hesitantly. “It was loveless and miserable. It was empty. I rarely saw her unless she wanted something from me. I couldn’t bear her presence, and while it certainly worked in my favor that she avoided me unless she wanted something…You know I don’t take well to...feeling alone.”  
  
She waited for him to continue but he had little more to say unless it was forced out of him. Her eyes lit up in realization. “You cheated on Sigyn with Angrboda,” she murmured.  
  
“I did, while engaged and after the wedding. And I don’t regret it for three reasons, two of whom you’ve become acquainted with already.” She couldn’t help but smile upon hearing that. Regardless of everything he had done and what people thought of him there was no denying Loki loved his children.  
  
“If you think I'm worried about you cheating on me, rest assured I'm not. I mean, shit, you had eight sans-Dani years to try and get away with it. And not once did I worry about anything like that happening.” _Loveless marriage and a fling with no emotional attachment. That’s all he's ever had._ _No wonder he thinks I'm an intimidating significant other.  After everything I did for him, with him, everything he believed would never happen, having been alone for that long, having shut out the world, so full of insecurity and self-loathing...And I was there to see to it that everything went back to the way it should be...I wanted to see things get better for him...I insisted on making sure it happened and neither of us had a fucking clue why...He had no idea how to respond to any of it...That's why he's so tense and extremely worried that he might ruin this.  He_ 's _never been in love before._  
  
“You say I’m worth that risk but I can’t bear the thought of losing you permanently.  And if I ever did anything to you…I don’t know how I would live with myself.”  
  
“You wouldn’t have to. I’d pummel you to death,” she replied laughing softly. “To be honest I can't really blame you.  I think a lot of people in your position would've done that, whether they'll admit to it or not.  My turn to tell you something important.  Rewind twenty-two years when I was three and my father was putting me to bed.  I told him instead of one of the usual bedtime stories I wanted to know about when he and my dad fell in love. He told me he couldn’t because he didn’t know. He said falling in love is a process, and you can watch for the milestones. But you don’t know you’re in love with someone until it hits you like freight train.  It might not be the moment you fall in love, but that's what happens when you know you are.  And it comes out of nowhere. Like a ninja. A ninja freight train of feelings.” She lifted her head and put a hand on his cheek, turning him to face her. “Look at me Loki,” she said quietly. He reluctantly complied and emerald merged with sapphire. “If I'm making a mistake then it's the best mistake I could possibly make.  And believe it or not I trust you more now because you **did** tell me despite how I could've reacted.  The reason I brought up that thing my father said…is because I just got hit by a freight train. Translate that from a Dani-ism to English and-” Her breath was caught in her throat. She had imagined this moment countless times, thinking she would be prepared when it happened. But she struggling to push the words off her tongue. “I…I…” _Muster courage, damn it! I’m half Rogers! I have bravery in my blood! I can do this! I think. I hope. Fuck it. YOLO._ “I love you, damn it!” she announced with unecessary bravado as if addressing the naysayers as well. “There. I said it. And I don’t care what my father said; those two and a half months counted."  
  
“…this is the part where I say it back, isn’t it?” he asked quiet uncertainty.  She shrugged casually. “That's how it happens in the movies. But only if you mean it. I wouldn't wanna hear it otherwise and I’ll know if you’re lying.  More importantly I I wouldn't want you to feel obligated to say it just because I did.” He closed the distance between them, gently pressing his lips against hers before whispering, “I love you.  You are my everything, more important than life itself.” Her breath hitched and she leaned forward, pretending to go in for a kiss and suddenly halted, skin barely grazing skin. “Say it again,” she commanded quietly, her lips slightly brushing his as she spoke. He growled in annoyance and tried to kiss her but she curled her lips inward, eyes sparkling with amusement. He descended to the base of her neck and repeated it, kissing more aggressively this time. He worked his way up to her lips, repeating those three words, each kiss becoming rougher than the last. It wasn’t long before teeth were involved. She quickly developed a series vibrant pink bite marks. When he reached her lips he put his hands on the back of her head and pulled her forward, hungrily stealing the kiss she had denied him.  
  
“I love you,” he said again in the husky whisper that set her body ablaze. “I want you. I need you. In every sense of the word.”  
  
Slightly hazy from her hormonal daze she stammered, “Good to know…Glad we’re on the same page…” When she finished talking she realized her hands were halfway done unzipping her hoodie. _…SSS really does give quick reflexes…Damn Gods and their powers of effortless seduction._ She slipped her arms out of it and threw it aside, then brought her lips to his ear. “I need you to do me a favor,” she murmured as her hands started swiftly and adeptly attacking his attire.  She was glad she didn't live in an apartment because she had no idea how she would explain the constant sound of leather and metal crashing to the floor to irked neighbors or a landlord dealing with complaints of noise violations.  
  
“Name it.”  
  
“I need to forget about everything. The nightmares, Asgard, HYDRA, Ragnarok, S.H.I.E.L.D., work, all of it. I need a reprieve from everything beyond my bedrom door.  Right here, right now, this is all that matters to me.” Twirling her blonde hair around his fingers as his lips fell to her exposed neck he murmured, “I’ll see what I can do, dear.” The anticipation in her core was building, saturated with raging desire and completely consuming her from the inside out. That Loki-ism, when translated into English, was something to the effect of ‘Silly pretty mortal, you needn’t even ask’.

* * *

**Pepper’s House**  
  
  
After the wedding Natasha alternated between living at the tower and with Pepper. The idea of Pepper moving in had been thrown around, as she did have a role in its construction, but Natasha’s room wouldn’t fit the both of them, there were no vacancies, and both she and Tony were uncomfortable with the proposal.  
  
Clint had called prior to arriving for fear of being greeted by Natasha’s gun; friends generally don’t drop by for a social visit close to ten o’clock. Pepper answered the door in nothing but a bathrobe and slippers. Her hair was slightly damp and he assumed she had just gotten out of the shower, more likely than not accompanied by Natasha.  
  
“Come on in,” she greeted in a tired voice. “Tasha is getting ready for bed right now but I doubt she’ll be long. Can I get you anything while you wait?” she offered. He shook his head. “No thanks Pepper. I feel sick to my stomach right now. I’m not actually sick. It’s just my nerves.”  
  
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she replied, clearly concerned. She folded her arms over her chest to stay warm. “Tasha did say you could stay here for the night if you needed to, so you’d be in good company. The couch is actually a very comfortable futon.”  
  
“Oh he knows,” Natasha laughed as she descended the staircase. “He’s slept on it…and puked on it…and nursed a hangover on it. That was some birthday party Tony threw for you.” Her hair was completely dried out and she was wearing and oversized t-shirt and sweatpants. Pepper clapped her hands together. “Well I’ll go upstairs and let you two have some privacy. This Ruby and Emma nonsense is wearing me out so I’ll probably be asleep before you come to bed.”  
  
Natasha pulled her in for a kiss. “Then I bid you an early goodnight.”  
  
“Спокойной ночи,” Pepper replied. “Goodnight Clint. I hope you’re feeling better come morning.” She made her way upstairs to their bedroom. “Color me impressed,” he remarked. “She’s doing really well with Russian.”  
  
“And you would know…how…?” the native speaker teased as she sat down on the futon and patted the spot next to her. He shrugged. “She speaks in it often.”  
  
“She does, but she’s terrible with handwritten Russian Cyrillic. Now, time to get to the heart of the matter.” Clint sat down and dropped his face into his palms. “You saw or heard her right? How upset she was?” Natasha nodded. “She wasn’t trying to take me back. She was in a panic because of…some news she recently received.” He gulped. “Do you remember when she took a medical leave a few weeks ago because she thought she had the flu? And she’s been feeling strange ever since but thought it was the weather? We were still together when it happened.” Natasha’s jaw dropped. “Don’t tell me…Good Lord, please don’t tell me it’s what I think it is.”  
  
He glanced up at her. “Then I’d be lying to you.  Dani’s suddenly engaged  **and** leaving for God knows how long. You hardly have any time with Pepper now that she’s stand-in CEO until Tony takes over for good. Steve is going to lose his mind when he finds out HYDRA is back.  And Bobbi’s pregnant. With twins. Time to break out the vodka?”  
  
“I’m Russian. I don’t need an excuse for vodka," she said patting him on the back.


	5. Privileged Information

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taking a little more creative license with Loki's kids and their backstories.

Hel’s body began to stir as her deep green eyes slowly flickered open. She shielded her eyes with her hand, her skin almost as pale as the bandages and both covered in blood. She slowly sat up and felt an immense pain in her abdomen. Clutching it she looked down and saw she was almost completely covered in blood-soaked bandage wrap, her midsection almost encased in it like a suit of armor. The last thing she remembered was descending the steps of her throne, bashing the occasional insubordinate over the head if they dared to stand in her way as she approached the red-eyed feral canine. Everything after that was a blur. The attempt at recollection shot jolts of pain through her skull as she leaned back into the mountain of soft pillows behind her. It quickly dawned on her that for the first time in her macabre life she was in Asgard.  
  
The door to her room opened and Gna, Frigga’s most trusted handmaiden came in with an armful of fresh wrappings to cover her wounds with. As she closed the door behind her a weak voice, raspy from a dry throat and dehydration spoke from behind her causing her to drop the wraps. “Go get my grandfather,” she ordered. “I must speak with the Allfather immediately.” As Gna quickly gathered the wraps, now in need of replacement after touching the floor, she turned around and tried not to express the disgust she felt bubbling and rising in the pit of her stomach. Hel was a beautiful girl from the waist up but after going so long without food, drink, or a full recovery her eyes and cheekbones were sunken. Her veins were visible through her skin, which looked as thin and flimsy as paper. Her hair was an unruly mess and she was soaked in her own blood. She could easily be mistaken for one of her own subjects.  
  
“I am sorry Your Highness,” Gna replied hesitantly, unsure of how to address her as she bore no personal allegiance to Helheim nor did she recognize Hel’s claim to any throne. “But the Allfather is busy-”  
  
“As are the now sentient frigid mists of Niflheim, quite possibly making their ascent to the flames of Muspelheim. So unless you wish to be held accountable for withholding information regarding the end of all existence and creation from my grandfather I suggest you retrieve him. _Now_.”  
  
“I should change your bandaging first to prevent infection-”  
  
“My legs are nothing but rotting flesh and decayed tissue housing maggots,” she interrupted bluntly. “I think I my body can manage an infection.” She bowed her head, a hand on her heart to show respect to the young queen and quickly departed. Hel looked down at her hands, scanned up and down her arms, and felt along the tense muscles of her upper back. Garm was strong but he was obedient when given proper incentive, and Hel’s temper constituted as such. Something else did this to her but she couldn’t recall what.  
  
As the golden doors to the healing room opened she greeted her grandfather for the first time in a way anyone who knew Hel would expect. “The universe might be reaching its expiration date,” she said casually. She looked up and smiled, her sunken skin causing her cheekbones to protrude. “I don’t know about you but I’m feeling a little excited. Especially considering I have absolutely no idea why it is that I’m drenched in blood and wasting away in this poor excuse for a medical facility. So how goes things? You look almost as pale as I!” she laughed. Her smile quickly fell to a bitter frown, eyes ablaze with rage. “Before I tell you a damned thing you will tell me what became of my little brothers. Immediately.”  
  
“Vali and Narfi are fine. Fenrir located their remains and Frigga used the same magic which sustained Lady Danielle’s body to reconstruct theirs. It is as if they never died.”  
  
“And they told you the truth? About Sigyn?”  
  
“Sigyn, or Loki?” he asked as he approached her bedside. “Over the past few years he and I have had many…frustrating conversations. The truth about Baldr, for example. And yes, they did tell me about Sigyn’s horrendous acts of maternal filicide. They are safe now. Healthy.”  
  
“They had better be,” she grumbled bitterly. “And what exactly happened to me?”  
  
“Nidhogg.”  
  
Her cloudy, dull eyes widened in horror. “What?” she gasped. “The…the dragon at the roots? How did he enter Niflheim?” Odin shook his head. “I do not know child. I do not know. Narfi and Vali told me little about what happened in Niflheim. What do you recall?”  
  
“The mists rose from the tundra and began to move. They collected. They grew. And they traveled. Up. It’s happening, isn’t it? That silly little horror story we used to tell each other about the ice and fires of old? They are preparing the come together again.”  
  
“I can see no other explanation for the incident in Niflheim.”  
  
“Incident?!” she exclaimed. “This borders on cataclysmic!”  
  
“Hel, please relax yourself. You are still recovering and you do not want to agitate your wounds further. The Norns have told me what they can. I believe I know how this can be stopped, or at the very least fended off.” Hel’s facial expression was a combination of jaded and fatigued. Raising an eyebrow she asked in monotone, “And it involves Danielle, doesn’t it?”  
  
“…you should get some more rest.” Hel was about to protest until they both heard the sound of something shattering outside and a mad dash down the hall.  
  
“What was that?” Odin muttered under his breath in confusion. Shoulders rising slightly with each snicker she replied, “That is the sound of Vali breaking something and trying to flee the scene of the crime. I’m pleased to see he’s still as energetic and careless as ever. If Ragnarok is upon us, who are our enemies?”  
  
“I do not know, nor do I know of our allies. But I do not anticipate war. Not yet, that is to say. It would appear that as it stands the universe is unraveling. I can think of no reason for another realm to attack Asgard.”  
  
“Another realm could think of a reason to attack Asgard,” she replied with smirk.  
  
“The resemblance between you and your father is startling.”  
  
“Speaking of my father…He knows what truly happened to my full blood brothers and I, yes? I have heard rumors that he believes you were responsible for what happened. And they say dead men tell no tales…” She shook her head, lips curved to the side in amused, knowing grin. “They’re actually a rather talkative bunch.”  
  
“I never explicitly told him but I never made an effort to keep it a secret either.”  
  
“He is on Midgard still, yes?”  
  
“Yes. In five Midgardian days he will return.”  
  
“Tell him. Just to be certain. You know an argument will break out when he sees me here. He’ll demand answers.”  
  
“And he shall receive them.”  
  
“Is _she_ coming with?” she asked with a somewhat suggestive grin. “The love of his life, his one and only, his soul mate, his dearly beloved, the burden of his arms?” She faked a gagging noise. “Such sentimental drivel makes me want to vomit.”  
  
“Well if you do become nauseous you’re in the right place.”  
  
“You aren’t very funny,” she said with a slow shake of her head.

* * *

 **Danielle’s House, 5:53 AM**  
  
Much to her surprise she had slept rather peacefully, and harkened it up to having solved (or made headway in solving) the cryptic dreams she was having. Danielle wanted to jump for joy at the very idea. She wanted to sing and dance and frolic like a wood nymph. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs from the top of the Empire State Building. She was energized, determined, and a woman on a mission.  
  
On any normal work day, which she was treating today as, she would be out of bed, out the door at 5:58 after speeding through her morning routine, at the building by 6:14 (after years of practice she knew every route possible to avoid the insanity of New York traffic), unlocking her office after taking the elevator up at 6:18. Though she was summoned back for a Code Ruby Red leaving Loki’s loving embrace under the warmth of her blankets was the last thing she wanted to do but it was a necessary sacrifice she was more than willing to make if it provided an excuse for her to return to the office. Except Loki wasn’t there when she awoke. She grumbled incoherently in a language even she in all her linguistic studies didn’t recognize as she blindly groped around for her alarm clock to turn it off. After several attempts and an equal number of failures by the time her hand found it she slammed down so hard it was reduced to plastic, wires, and a snapped cord.  
  
“Not again,” she grumbled as she sat up. She grabbed her phone off her bedside table and called Pepper.  
  
“Dani…Why in God’s name are calling me this early?” Pepper groaned. Danielle stretched her free arm and yawned. “Aren’t you getting ready for work? I’m coming in today, remember? I need my assistant.”  
  
“It’s not even six…”  
  
She gasped loudly. “Don’t tell me you’ve been arriving late in my absence! You have, haven’t you?!” she accused. Pepper imagined the blonde foaming at the mouth by now. Sighing she replied, “Dani, you used to come to the office before the janitorial staff and sometimes you would write and type so much your fingers bled. I’ve been coming in at 7:30 and we have yet to be struck by the plague.” Natasha groaned and rolled over. “Who the hell is calling this early?” she muttered.  
  
“I dare you to guess.” Natasha just groaned again and put her pillow over her head. “Dani, I just need you to come in and take care of Ruby. That’s it. No meetings, no conferences, no paperwork –especially no paperwork-, nothing else.”  
  
“But you needed me to come in right away!” she protested in a confused whine.  
  
“To deal with the Ruby problem…Don’t come in until noon, okay? I’m still in charge so do as I say. Or Natasha is going to poison your beef lo mein. She’s making her ‘I’m going to poison your food’ face.”  
  
“No! I’m getting out of bed, I’m going to work, I’m doing TONS and TONS of paperwork, and you can’t stop me!” she declared. She tried to sit up but found her inexplicably glued to the bed.  She looked under the blankets and saw her purple bed sheets were glowing bright green and resonating with an all too familiar magical aura. "Did you really think I would let you do this to yourself?  Complaining about sleep deprivation, and yet..."

“Son. Of. A. Bitch,” she hissed. A pair of lithe fingers gently plucked from her phone from her hand from behind her.  
  
“Good morning Ms. Potts. I sincerely apologize on Danielle’s behalf for her obnoxious behavior, but we both know her work ethic can be a little too potent sometimes. When would you like her to arrive? I will personally see to it she doesn’t leave the house until then.” Fuming, she turned over with great difficulty and glared at Loki, standing on the other side of the bed. “Gimme back my phone,” she demanded.  
  
“Go back to sleep.”  
  
“Oh, why, um, thank you Loki.” _There’s something I never thought I would say_. “She doesn’t need to be here until eleven, eleven-thirty. Somewhere in between there. Though the later the better…Eleven-thirty.  No, noon.”  
  
“NOON?!” she shrieked. “No! Gimme my phone damn it! Gimme my phone right now!” She grabbed her pillow and threw it at him but it was magically redirected and smacked her in the face. Continuing to ignore her Loki replied, “Consider it done.”  
  
“Dare I ask what you’re going to do?”  
  
“Nothing one wouldn’t anticipate I would do,” he replied smoothly. “Probably continue to restrain her until she wears herself out. That sounded far more suggestive than I had intended.”  
  
“As head of Stark Industries, Dani is technically my subordinate and if I don’t want her here until much later, do whatever you deem necessary. Under normal circumstances I doubt I would ever say this but Dani isn’t a normal circumstance, and so I trust your judgment. Shit. Natasha looks ready to kill the first thing in sight, and that thing is me. I should go…Again, thank you.”  
  
“Anything for her well-being.” He smirked and hung up as she balled her fists and started pounding on the bed. “Gimme my phone you fucking mother fucker son of a fucking fuck!” she barked. “I need it to get ready for work!”  
  
“What phone?” He dangled it above her. “You mean this one?” She reached up for it but it was just barely out of her reach by a few centimeters.  
  
“You suck, you suck, you suck!” she yelled as she kept swiping in the air like a cat trying to catch a thread of string. He slowly lowered it and she grabbed it. “Ha! I win,” she said sticking out her tongue.  
  
“Win what?” Dani blinked in confusion and retracted her fingers. There was nothing but open space in between them and she quickly realized he had been taunting her with an illusion, doing away with her real one. “Where the hell is my phone?!” she yelled, pounding her fists again. He shrugged. “That’s a very good question,” he replied feigning contemplation. “I’m sure you’ll find it when you wake up.”  
  
“Who said anything about sleeping?!”  
  
“Pepper did, I did, oh, and you just now,” he said counting off on his fingers. She grit her teeth, then folded her arms over her chest and looked the other way. “I’m not going to sleep and that’s that.”  
  
“But I gave Pepper my word. How could I live with myself if I went back on my word?” he asked pretending to be sincere as he sat next to her. She glanced over her shoulder. “I don’t know if I should laugh or spit in your face.”  
  
“If I may be so bold as to give my input I’d prefer neither, and that you instead go to sleep.”  
  
“Make me!” she snapped. “Though I doubt you can. If you could make me fall asleep you would’ve already done so when the nightmares were keeping me up. Even you have your limits.”  
  
“Guilty.”  
  
“You tend to be,” she joked. “So, about being stuck to the bed…Are you gonna undo that?” Grinning he replied, “Actually I quite like you where you are.”  
  
“So that’s what this is really about,” she chuckled. “There’s a small part of me that’s regretting making sure you could use magic again. Shoulda seen this coming eventually.”  
  
“…not quite the intention. There’s a difference between ‘would have already done so’ and ‘could have already done so’,” he replied in reference in to her earlier accusation and leaned forward to kiss her. She was going to pull back but the magic had spread to back and she was completely frozen in place. There was something very strange about the kiss. It made her lips tingle and it tasted oddly like genetically modified strawberries which. “Son of a…” Her voice trailed off as her head hit the pillow before she fell into a deep sleep, realizing that genetically modified strawberries must have been what magic tasted like.  
  
Loki smirked, pleased with his work. “That was far too easy. It would appear Barton lost our wager.”

* * *

 **The Night Before, S.H.I.E.L.D. Interrogation Chambers**  
  
When the interrogations had been completed Natasha and Danielle were talking amongst themselves, trying to piece together the bits of information Coulson had managed to scrape up. They may not have been the smartest ‘terrorists’ but they seemed to have at least prepared for a scenario like this, albeit not very well. Loki waited patiently for the conversation to end before returning to Danielle’s. Clint was also present, hoping it would help get his mind off of the frustrating talk he and Bobbi had. Watching the two of them he noticed something strange.  
  
“What’s up with Dani?” he asked quietly nodding towards the blonde. “She looks exhausted.” _I hope I don't end up regretting asking that._  
  
“She hasn’t been sleeping well,” Loki replied simply. Clint nodded slowly. “She did mention something about insomnia when I ran into her this morning. Can’t you, I dunno, magically sedate her?”  
  
“I suppose I could. But I have the distinct impression that she would take issue with that,” he replied carefully as if she could overhear them. The archer folded his arms over his chest. “Even if works to her benefit?”  
  
“Before I answer that question I want you to give careful consideration to about who it is you speak of.” He thought for a moment. “Right. Dani hates when people can one-up her. I bet it won’t be long before regrets having your magic returned to you.” Seeing an opportunity for a bet he added, “In fact, I bet by the end of the week she’ll have vocalized regretting it.” Loki snorted in amusement, which caused Danielle to briefly glance over her shoulder at him suspiciously. Quietly he replied, “She won’t last two more days.”

* * *

 **Stark Industries**  
  
Smiling brightly as she passed through the revolving doors Danielle stopped momentarily in the front lobby. Inhaling deeply she murmured to herself, “It smells like success. I missed being here…” As per usual she was decked head to toe in purple, this time opting for a very deep shade which matched her old DIGITAL pendant she had been reunited with. The staff on the first floor, mostly receptionists and interns, were all surprised to see here. Not wanting to put the entire company on high alert just yet Pepper said nothing about the bizarrely demanding call from Emma Frost’s mouthpiece and Danielle’s story was that she was taking a momentary break from her ‘vacation’ to see how things were going. Pepper was going to pretend to be surprised when she arrived. Briefcase in hand she reached the elevators, happily greeting everyone she saw along the way. She waited for a vacant one to open and quickly stepped inside. After the doors closed with a metallic clanging sound she took out her keys and unlocked the case behind which the button for the top floor was covered by. Only a very select set of staff were allowed on the CEO’s floor; those with permission were all in possession of a similar key. There was a small clicking sound and the escalator slowly began to make its ascent to the top floor. She leaned against the farthest back wall and sighed.  
  
“I don’t know why my dad always bitched about these things ‘moving too slow’,” she aloud to no one in particular. “I find it a little relaxing.” She looked to her left and Loki materialized. “Gotta be honest, even if Ruby Summers is a pushover this assertive behavior of hers reeks of her mother, and Emma Frost is someone to be taken seriously. She’s a little intimidating. Dad hates her with a passion. Once this place was mine the two first pieces of advice he gave me were these- don’t get caught with an intern beneath your desk, and if Emma Frost rears her platinum blonde head then stay on high alert. I’m really glad you’re gonna be there. I should probably call Pepper and let her know that I’m here.”  
  
“Hey Dani. On your way?”  
  
“My way up, yes. A little jittery about possibly facing down Emma but my dad taught me well, and I’m brilliant to begin with so it’s just a little performance anxiety I’m sure. But she probably has it too, ten times worse.”  
  
“I know you hear this all the time but you sound far too much like your dad for own good sometimes.”  
  
“At least I don’t wait until a crisis to take things seriously.”  
  
“True. Speaking of your dad-” Danielle immediately paled and cut her off. “You didn’t bring him, did you? He’s not here, is he?”  
  
“With the potential Emma risk I yanked him out of the lab for the afternoon and brought him over for moral support. Why?”  
  
“I don’t need him holding my hand!” she exclaimed. “And, I, um, are you in the office right now?”  
  
“Break room. He’s bored out of his mind and keeps trying to upgrade everything. Pencil sharpeners, the coffeemaker, the copy machines…I have to make sure he stays out of trouble. This brings back so many memories.”  
  
 _Damn it._ “Pepper, I’m going to tell you something and I want you to not show any kind of reaction whatsoever because it’ll raise suspicion, especially on my dad’s part.”  
  
“Listening.”  
  
“I already brought along my own ‘moral support’.”  
  
“Oh, I see.” Danielle could hear the restraint she was exercising to keep from panicking. Loki and Tony in the same room for Danielle’s sake was one thing, but doing so inside Stark Industries was a complete story. Danielle nodded slowly. “Yeah. Just passed floor twelve so you have about two minutes to warn him and calm him down.”  
  
“Thanks for letting me know ahead of time.” In other words ‘thanks for the forewarning'. “Tony, leave the automatic stapler alone! Damn it all…I’ll talk to you more when you get here. See you soon. Anthony Stark, don’t you touch that paper shredder!”  
  
She leaned her head back and grit her teeth. “Damn it all to Niflheim and back…Did you catch any of that?” She glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow when she saw the amused grin on his face. “I’ll take that as a yes. I want both of you to be on your best behavior. I mean it. I WILL banish you to the couch if it comes down to it.” Her left hand suddenly felt quite heavy and she looked down at the ring. _If it is a cover…I love him, and as far as I’m concerned we’ve been together –just separated through space and time- for eight years. But…everything we talk about is either related to my nightmares, sex, stuff that happened eight years ago, what might be going on with Asgard and Odin…We haven’t had any of those normal, boring conversations couples have since he came back. Are we lacking substance? No, Gods no, that can’t be the case. When I was in Asgard, the night before his trial, none of that stuff came up and everything was just about us and it was fine. We were fine. It’s not like this relationship is solely dependent on the drama around it…_  
  
“Danielle?”  
  
“Huh?” She looked up, his voice bringing her back to reality.  
  
“If that’s all there is to your threat I’m extremely underwhelmed.”  
  
She fought a relieved smile. _Yeah, we’re fine. Everything’s fine._ “Got distracted. And there goes floor forty-two…About half-way there.”

* * *

 **Stark Industries, Top Floor**  
  
“Danielle, what in ever loving fuck?! Today is not Take Your Fiancé to Work Day!”  
  
“Nice to see you too…dad.”  
  
“What did you just call me?!”  
  
“Isn’t that the tradition on Midgard? Becoming ‘in-laws’?”  
  
“Yeah, when people get married! And guess what? You’re not people, and Dani’s not getting married!”  
  
Danielle sat at her desk slowly tapping her fingers, breathing deeply. Pepper had already prepared for this and made her some chamomile tea for her nerves. Her lower jaw was trembling and her hands shook as she brought the cup to her lips. Pepper was standing behind her massaging her tense shoulders. “Just breathe,” she advised quietly. “Let them get it out of their system.”  
  
“I already warned Loki,” she growled. “And you let my dad know not long before we got here so he wouldn't be surprised. But still, here we are. I’m about to be struck from the shadows by Emma Frost and my two biggest sources of emotional support are…One is being antagonistic and the other no doubt has a shovel and a body bag in the back of his car," she said coolly, chugging down the tea like a fraternity student would do to alcohol. “I’m going to scream, I swear I’m going to scream, I’m so close to screaming…”  
  
“You rather I be left unsupervised, left to my own devices Stark? Is that what I’m hearing from you?”  
  
“You are plotting something! And you’re dragging Dani into it too! My poor baby girl is getting corrupted…Don’t think I didn’t see all her hickies!”  
  
“They aren’t all on her neck. And she didn’t need my help in ‘being corrupted’. She initiated _everything_. If fact if anyone is doing any kind of corrupting it might be…” Loki nodded over towards Danielle and Tony’s face turned bright red.  Even Danielle blushed a little, more so at the fond memories than embarassment.  
  
“You’re lucky I don’t have a suit with me because if I did you’d be cinders right now!”  
  
“Just because your obnoxiously loud prattling is starting to give me a headache I won’t refute that statement. Even if you are wrong.”  
  
“They have ten more seconds before this table gets flipped. I swear I’ll do it.” Pepper pushed down on her shoulders to try and keep her as still as possible. “No, none of that. We won’t have any more tables flipped.”  
  
“At least I didn’t have to instigate a war in New York to try and get my dad’s attention!”  
  
“Remind me again what Stark Industries manufactured before there was a such thing as ‘Iron Man’?”  
  
An empty mug flew past both of them and went through the wall, shattering in the room adjacent when it hit the floor. Both Tony and Loki sent alarmed looks in Danielle’s direction. Her face was expressionless but her eyes were dark, clouded by a sudden homicidal urge. “If you two wouldn’t mind carrying on this extremely productive and clearly cathartic conversation to get to know each other better at some other time, I would greatly appreciate it,” she said in a disturbingly sweet voice, made even more so by the fact that she wasn’t smiling. “I have a job to do. Personal drama is left at the door; it does not enter my office. Understood? Wonderful.” She tilted her head back and gulped. “Ready?” she muttered to Pepper. She nodded and Danielle gave herself a final once over before Pepper set up the teleconference. Both the former and stand-in CEO sat on opposite sides of Danielle, her significant other invisible behind her.  
  
Ruby’s side came into view and to no one’s surprise Emma was also in attendance along with a blonde young woman who appeared to be close to Ruby and Danielle in age, as was presumably her assistant or an intern. Danielle forced a warm smile. “Oh Ruby, it has been far too long since I last saw you. How are things are your second rate corporation?” Emma bit her tongue and cast Ruby a glare, encouraging her to retaliate.  
  
“Fantastic. And I know this because I actually come to work without having my presence requested.”  
  
“Well unfortunately not all of us share the luxury of having a competent staff capable of covering for us when our presence is required elsewhere. Speaking of, how is your turnover rate? Still seven out of ten?”  
  
“As wonderful as it is for you two to catch up, this isn’t a social call,” Emma interrupted. “We have a proposal for you, Ms. Rogers-Stark.”  
  
“If it’s the merger again don’t even bother,” Danielle replied firmly. “I’ve already told you countless times, three in person, that Stark Industries will always be just that. Much like your failed attempt at seducing my dad, there will never be a Stark-Frost union of any kind,” she said sharply. Tony tried hard not to snicker while Pepper bit her tongue. “And if memory serves Ruby requested to speak with me. I don’t recall anything about having to be subjected to your delightful presence. If Frost Enterprises has a proposal then I want to hear it from the CEO.” Emma leaned back in her chair and glared at Ruby again, urging her to speak.  
  
“We have been dabbling in new territory, promising new territory, in which I believe you personally would be interested in and Stark Industries could benefit from,” Ruby said trying to maintain her composure. The other CEO raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what would that be?”  
  
“We have expanded our research into biological and cellular engineering-”  
  
“First of all, cellular engineering is a subfield of biological engineering. Second, why in the hell would FE be playing with biological engineering on the cellular level when you already have firmly established yourselves in the aerospace engineering field?”  
  
“As you know we are a conglomerate and some of our foreign business partners are less and less interested in aerospace and more so in what can be done here, on Earth. So we redirected some of our resources to venture into the life sciences-”  
  
“Why at the cellular level?” Tony couldn’t help feel an overwhelming sense of pride hearing Danielle’s cool, collected tone as she cornered Ruby. Even Emma was visibly irked and Pepper had to fight a smile. Ruby’s assistant looked apathetic. Behind her Loki was revisiting fond memories of her ‘verbal evisceration’ at his hearing. She hadn’t lost her touch, even if she did have stiff competition. “Biofuels, pharmaceuticals, what?” Her assistant passed some paperwork to Ruby, which she quickly scanned and then bit her lip nervously.  
  
“Did I say cellular? I meant genetic. Genetic engineering.”  
  
“Why do I feel like you want less input from me than you do a contribution?” Danielle folded her arms over her chest. “Everyone always wants a piece of the test tube baby…” _Waste of time...GENETIC ENGINEERING. EUGENICS. NEO NAZIS USING EUGENICS._ _Alright, maybe this is worth looking into._ “Then again I did get a degree in biochemistry at the University of Iceland for a reason. And it would just be silly of me to pass up an opportunity to see what the competition is up to right now. I’ll stop by for a little factory tour but on one condition.”  
  
“That being?” Emma asked fiercely. Danielle smiled. “Well seeing as I am CEO but currently have my assistant standing in for me I want her to come along so she can be just as informed as I on what exactly your little show and tell project is all about.” Ruby hesitated, glancing at Emma cautiously. Danielle rolled her eyes. _Dad thinks he needs to hold my hand, Emma does need to hold Ruby’s. This is ridiculous._  
  
“Fine,” the artificial red-head on the other end agreed. “But everything you see and hear remains confidential. Only you and your assistant may know.”  
  
“Tomorrow. Two-thirty.”  
  
“Done.”  
  
“Lovely. Pepper, cut the power and end my migraine.” The blonde couldn’t stop grinning when the call ended. “This is wonderful. This is so wonderful.”  
  
“Dani, I have a meeting tomorrow at two-thirty,” Pepper said. “I can’t go.” Chuckling she replied, “I don’t need you to. Just someone who looks like and passes as you.” _And someone who already knows about the Neo Nazi theory brewing at S.H.I.E.L.D. who is a living, breathing lie detector. Depending on what we see Natasha might need to be sent out to stealth the place out._

* * *

 **Asgard**  
  
Hel still had yet to fully recover but she was free to move about the castle for finite periods of time. She had never been inside before, unlike Vali and Narfi who lived there before their deaths, and they were having a grand time showing her around. As they did Odin, Thor, and Frigga sat in a small council chamber room. No longer was his concern a secret to the two of them anymore and as soon as Loki returned with the instrumental piece those concerns could slowly be put to rest. There was, however, a new problem arising one realm at a time. Somehow someone had caught wind of the engagement between Loki and Danielle. Vanaheim and Jotunnheim were the first to express disapproval for very different reasons, Muspelheim was far more concerned with the approaching mist which could be seen rolling in the dimensions below just as one could see Muspelheim’s fires in the Asgardian skies, and the pattern of human death not only exponentially increased but they seemed to be trying to climb Yggdrasil with Nidhogg leading them. The different elven races were actively staying out of what they say as nothing more than a ‘God-and-giant cock off’.  
  
“Hel was right to suggest looking into the matter,” Odin said quietly as he examined a map of the Nine Realms he had written notes on. “We have no allies. And after the threats from the Jotunn and the Vanir there will be war. But it is nothing like the old predictions. It will not have two sides, clear cut. Every realm is pitted against the rest."


	6. What We're Fighting For, Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I don't believe in fairy tales, but I believe in you and me." -Natalia Kills, "Wonderland"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Father-daughter feels and Danoki feels. What kind of feels, I leave that up to you guys. Just...try not to hate me if they're yucky feels :(

“Love is for children.” That was what Natasha had told Loki during her cleverly disguised interrogation. But after Danielle contacted her out of principle to add what information she garnered, eventually leading to a brief trip to the base with Loki to explain everything no holds barred (even bringing a digitized copy of her dry erase board, blowing up the screen for Fury, Natasha, Clint, and Coulson to see). Suspicion was beginning to rise amongst the other agents and staff. Why was Danielle suddenly coming in so regularly? Why was Loki of all people with her? And why was she meeting with those select four? The truth would have to reach all ears sooner than later and Danielle insisted that she be the one to tell the rest of the Avengers, or at the very least her parents; the rest could fill in Bruce with Loki available to fill in any missing gaps. She and Loki believed that Thor’s prolonged absence confirmed information was being gathered in Asgard. What kind of information they couldn’t say but the Tesseract was no doubt at the center of it all.  
  
“Love is for children.” The red head couldn’t get those words out of her head after returning to the tower. She was prepared to explore Frost Enterprises tomorrow. She was prepared to gather and relay information she stumbled upon with the elusive movements of a spider- out of reach, out of sight, hiding in the shadows, jumping from corner to corner. She was prepared for such a simple task to the point where it was almost insulting.  
  
“Love is for children.” Natasha had not been prepared to fall in love, which made keeping her orientation a secret far less exhausting than it is for most. She admired Danielle for doing her best to tell the truth, or at least make it known, despite consequences. She had explained a bruise on national television which was assumed to be the result of physical abuse at the hands, pun not intended, of her parents. She had come clean about her secret interaction with Loki when she had no choice to anymore, but nothing prompted her to make mention of her feelings for him; even when the potential reactions from the Avengers and all affiliates were taken into consideration she wasn’t ashamed of how she felt and she defended him vehemently to the point where she told all of Asgard they were wrong and (for lack of better words) needed to see that unless they wanted the violence to continue, going so far as to threaten and insult Odin with an audience. And now that she had overcome her adolescent habit of taking on responsibility for the sake of the comfort of others she took no issue with collaborating or accepting the overwhelming concern she was receiving from all parties involved. Consequences were of no consequence to her anymore. Hearing her speak made Natasha feel a twinge of guilt in the pit of her stomach, an emotion she hadn’t felt since her struggle to come to terms with her former life before Clint gave her a second chance with S.H.I.E.L.D.  
  
“Love is for children.” She was prepared for an infiltration, she was preparing for in impending interdimensional war, and she was prepared to go down in a blaze of glory if need be. What she was not prepared for was telling Pepper. Her wife had quickly come to terms with the fact that some aspects of Natasha’s job didn’t leave the office so to speak and some of the details she didn’t care to know, namely when her job required her to kill someone. Pepper also acclimated to the fact that not only could they not always live together but Natasha sometimes had to spend prolonged periods of time across the Western hemisphere, across the Atlantic, across the globe even, and return with serious injuries but not able to explain how she received them. Being a potential target came with the territory of being an assassin’s wife but should anything happen to her she knew she had a slew of people she could rely on. It wouldn’t have been the first time her romantic connections put her life in danger. And as Danielle’s assistant she would learn eventually, wouldn’t she?  
  
Danielle would tell her parents and S.H.I.E.L.D. would tell Bruce. But who would tell Pepper there was a war on the horizon? If love only existed in fairy tales she hated to see what love in a horror novel was like. Telling Pepper would result in numerous, serious infractions of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s code of conduct. Do not involve civilians in S.H.I.E.L.D. affairs (which had stalled and almost prevented her wedding altogether); do not share confidential information with anyone who did not have clearance, including those within S.H.I.E.L.D. itself without explicit consent with the director; and most importantly in this scenario do not let your personal and private lives overlap or interfere with your work. Office relationships had been actively discouraged for that reason but naturally Tony ignored that rule; Steve was his and that was that, end of discussion.  
  
Natasha wanted to tell Pepper not merely to warn her, but the secrecy she had to maintain between the two of them was beginning to wear her out. ‘Little things’ like dismantling a bomb or working on a translation was safe to share as it wasn’t work that couldn’t be conducted in other fields, but where the bomb was placed and who placed it or where the translations came from and their contents was treading on thin ice. It wasn’t as if she felt an overwhelming urge to talk about bomb locations and how extensively she exercised her multilingual skills, and as much as she loved teasing Pepper about how boring her job was she envied her for being able to share as much as she desired (“And when that intern forgot to make those photocopies for me to give to Danielle for the meeting tomorrow with the finance committee, oh the look on her face. She’s so skilled at keeping her composure despite how incompetent that guy can be, but I suppose he wouldn’t learn from his mistakes if she put him in the corner with a dunce cap.”)  
  
She envied Tony and Steve, and while they were together she envied Clint and Bobbi. She even envied Danielle; who knows what kind of fantastical secrets Loki had shared with her? She and Clint had their inside jokes and the like but it wasn’t the same. She felt like something substantial, almost essential, was missing. And it took two years of marriage to realize this, which made her feel all the more foolish. “Love is for children.”  
  
“Hey Nat, got a minute to spare?”  
  
“Come on in Clint,” she replied sitting up on her bed as he opened the door. She was far too gifted at hiding her feelings sometimes but in this case it worked in her favor. That was a conversation she certainly didn’t want to have at the current. “What’s up?” He rubbed the back of his neck and closed the door behind himself. “Got off the phone with Bobbi.”  
  
“You sound neither enraged nor crestfallen. Should I interpret that as being indicative of a productive conversation?” she asked as he leaned against the wall, folding his arms over his chest. Shrugging his shoulders her replied, “I guess. It was a…follow-up talk. Probably the first of many. She’s still in a ‘what am I gonna do?’ panic but I had to point out to her it’s not just her. And then she got defensive and thought I was going to pressure her into getting an abortion, which I have no intention of doing whatsoever. It’s her body, it’s her choice, and I completely respect that which I told her; it helped her calm down a little. I also said I wouldn’t be a deadbeat and would do what I could to be involved in their lives. Probably not be a Volvo driving soccer dad. And we’re both S.H.I.E.L.D. agents so I told her I worry about time spent together. I don’t want the TV or video games raising them. She was really happy to hear all of that. I think that ultimatum she gave, rather my answer, made her feel isolated and completely alone…as if I cut her out altogether.”  
  
“Explains the breakdown. Granted anyone would be incredibly emotion in a situation like that but Bobbi always struck me as rather collected. You’re handling this really well you know. Despite how shocking it was.”  
  
“Speaking of shocking, I have some news for you.” She raised an eyebrow. “An interesting segue…”  
  
“Since she works in the labs Fury is having her transferred elsewhere in the chemical department to analysis and forensic science. Nothing hands on. Just examining findings and making sure the math has been worked out correctly.”  
  
“Why is this related to me?”  
  
“Dani is investigating that rival company for signs of eugenics and genetic experimentation, right? If it’s there who do you think Fury is going to send to nab it? You. And who’s going to have to take a look at it?” Natasha exhaled deeply. “Bobbi and I will be working together on Operation: HYDRA Revival.”

* * *

**The Well of Urd**  
  
  
Bringing along Fenrir in case she became too weak to walk, Hel snuck out of the palace to confront the Norns. They knew more than they were sharing, that went without saying. But Hel had found a loophole in the limitations they placed on what they could share.  
  
“It’s only a title, Goddess of death. I am full-blooded jotunn like the three of you. There is nothing keeping you from answering questions about me, or my father and his human consort. At least not in regards to status.” Fenrir stood protectively at her side as she slowly stroked his dark fur. The Norns were no longer able to see into the future but they still held plenty of information on the past, and Hel planned to gather as much of it as possible.  
  
“She does have a point there, doesn’t she sisters?” Verdandi smiled gleefully. With having lost their precognitive abilities they had been rendered useless, as well as lonely. Hel rolled her eyes at how perky she was. She was still in a great deal of pain though she hid it well and her patience had been almost entirely exhausted after being brought to Asgard, or rather losing control over her own realm.  
  
“What do you want to know about your father and Lady Danielle?” Skuld asked, twirling an expired string around her fingers out of boredom.  
  
“The Allfather is convinced that she has some sort of tie to the Tesseract because she exposed your lies. Not only that but she touched it without being harmed. She is entirely human. It should have burned through her flesh but her hands remain intact. Though that may have changed since I last saw her. What’s this connection she has to it, if any?”  
  
“The Tesseract chooses an emissary of sorts. And it chose her,” Urd began. “Countless others have tried to wield it. The group that her family works for wanted to harvest energy from it. They exploited it. A powerful man named Johann Schmidt tried the same thing and it refused to be a megalomaniac’s plaything. Lady Danielle’s father stopped him but he could not use it because he saved the world from one man. She, however, saved one man from the worlds. When your stepmother tried to use it she claimed to be the only one capable, according to what the Allfather had been told. It heard the challenge issued to her to prove it. She put herself in danger to save it. She had also already begun to unravel our prophecies only weeks prior, and again with Fenrir.” The large wolf panted happily after receiving the praise. “It controls and manipulates time and space. In that moment when she challenged Sigyn, the Tesseract undid all things preordained. She had a choice, she could design the next few footsteps in her path. Save Asgard and keep to her word to Loki, or fall back? Her character and integrity were far too strong. In other words, it was in that moment that her bond with your father permanently merged into one as is typical of all lovers. And in doing so the ‘Loki’, ‘Fenrir’, and the like of the story we fabricated were destroyed permanently. Had she not then the lie would have become truth. After everything she had done to challenge Ragnarok there was no turning back for the Tesseract. It was either Lady Danielle or no one at all. Had she not chosen that path the army gathering in Niflheim would be under your command right now. Odin would continue to vilify his son, and he would default to his bloodline for support, leading Jotunnheim into battle.”  
  
“And because their paths unraveled in that scenario his primary motivation would have been her betrayal. Her abandoning him. Giving up on him after all those promises, those moments together, all of it. Would you like to see what could have been?” Skuld asked. She nodded and approached the Norn, who pressed a thumb against her forehead. Hel could hear her father’s voice in her head.  
  
 _...All humans truly are the same in the end. Her false promises poisoned me, blinded me. When Midgard floods I will be the one to kill her, understood? She is mine to destroy. But not until after I force her to watch her precious family be dismantled one by one. I think I’ll start with Stark and rip out the glowing mechanism in his chest, letting those scraps of metal slowly pierce his heart._..  
  
Hel shivered when Skuld removed her thumb. “Now you see what she prevented. And only she was capable of doing that. Before existence existed our paths were mapped and hers was fated to cross his no matter what. But in that brief moment in which she was given a chance to decide the future of all, she chose to undo what was supposed to be once and for all. And because she was the one who changed Ragnarok, she holds the quill and ink to the future. We cannot see it because she hasn’t written it yet. Everything is dependent on her actions in between her making contact with the cube again, solidifying their relationship, and the end of Ragnarok.”  
  
“And my father? He is certainly no delegate for the Tesseract.”  
  
“After the prophecy was undone so was his role. That will be decided depending on his interactions with her now,” the oldest replied.  
  
“But their paths are intertwined,” Hel replied confused. Flashing her annoying knowing smile Verdandi said, “But is the future set in stone anymore? No. He is her complement. And what that means will be determined as time passes. Such as how Vanaheim and Jotunnheim reacted to her upcoming arrival.”  
  
“And how was that?” she asked narrowing her eyes at the youngest. Chuckling she replied, “Oh come now Lady Hel, at least let us have a little fun!” Fenrir issued a deep warning growl but Hel raised a hand to hush him. “Relax, brother. We’ll have more answers soon enough. The picture is not incomplete…”  
  
She turned to walk away, Fenrir giving the Norns once last vicious glare before following her. “Only murky. We must wait for that clarity. No matter how hard we think, imagine, theorize, we are only exhausting ourselves. But it is a strange thought, isn’t it? If the Tesseract can halt someone’s path, anyone who came in possession of it could have become its living counterpart. Anyone could have learned the truth, or rather exposed the lies. And of all the people to prove you, myself, our father, and countless others are not the antagonists of that war it’s the one he falls in love with.” Fenrir wagged his tail happily at the mention of Danielle and Hel smiled. “Yes, I like her too. I am curious to see how she’s grown and changed since our last encounter. And I’m very interested in hearing what choice words she has for our grandfather. An engagement…Real or not, it’s a desperate attempt to bring her here. And to exploit their bond in such a manner…” She shivered with frustration. “You know we will probably have to tell him what mother did to us. I think he doesn’t know. Why he wouldn’t, I can’t say. But the Allfather was quite welcoming to someone he had allegedly thrown off the Bifrost. How could he be if he wanted Asgard to continue thinking I’m a revolting fiend whose external appearance mirrors my internal character?” She lifted her gown slightly and looked at her legs. Fenrir’s ears drooped at the mention of Angrboda and his pace slowed. “Pay her no mind,” she said soothingly. “She is still alive somewhere. I haven’t received her yet. But it was made quite clear she wants nothing to do with us. And if she did…You, myself, Jormungand, father, and perhaps even Danielle would be in a race for who gets to gut her alive first.” Fenrir perked up at the thought.  
  
Not far off someone was listening in on their conversation. Someone with the intention of finding Angrboda and telling her of this newfound information- two of her three children were in Asgard.

* * *

**Danielle’s House, 8:49 PM**  
  
  
“I was thinking maybe tomorrow morning before I go harass Ruby some more we finally give the new DIGITAL the proper test run it deserves.” Danielle lay down on the bed, drumming on her ribcage with her free hand. “Sound good?”  
  
“Absolutely. And tomorrow is day four, huh?”  
  
“Yeah. It’s going by quick. But I promise I’ll come back for my birthday and your birthdays and other important days. I will.”  
  
“And this wedding…” Tony became very quiet. “It’s happening in Asgard?”  
  
“Dunno. Haven’t really been fully briefed on Project: Obtuse Odin Dictates Life Exorbitantly.”  
  
“You intentionally made the acronym P.O.O.D.L.E.”  
  
“Why yes, yes I did,” she grinned. “Speaking of people who like making acronyms for things, didn’t Coulson mention Thor’s girlfriend person thing being transferred to S.H.I.E.L.D. soon? Does she even know he’s married? Political move or not…”  
  
“No clue, but she’s supposed to be, along with her ‘helper monkey’ as he put it. They’ve had a run in before. I really hope that doesn’t cause more office drama there. J.A.R.V.I.S. may or may not have picked up on some juicy details regarding Clint and Bobbi.” Her eyes lit up. “Tell me **everything** ,” she demanded in an excited whisper.  
  
“You already know why they broke up right? Well turns out Agent Mockingbird is pregnant. With twins,” he added casually. She gasped. “You gotta be shitting me. What now?”  
  
“I, I mean _J.A.R.V.I.S_. didn’t tap call itself but it sounds like they’re gonna try and play nice to make this as easy as possible. If he wasn’t the one who runs the bets around here he’d probably be taking wagers on when they get back together.”  
  
“It would take way more than this for them to get back together. She questioned Uncle Clint’s loyalty and took a stab at his friendship with Aunt Natasha. No way would he get over something like that so fast just because she got knocked up.”  
  
“Oh I know. If Legolas did take her back now it would just be out of pity and that wouldn’t make for a healthy environment for those kids to grow up in. But remember, mum’s the word on this.”  
  
“On what?” she asked with false confusion. She could hear the smile in his voice. “That’s my girl. So Dani…There’s something I need to tell you and…I’m terrible at having to do this because I never had much practice, so bear with me.”  
  
“Apology accepted.” He sighed in relief. “Well that was easy.”  
  
“On the condition you elaborate on what you’re apologizing for,” she said with a smirk. “Crap. OK, um, well, bringing Loki was a smart move to catch any bullshit we might not have from Ruby or Emma. And even though he does like to piss me off I do set myself up for it by having ‘pissed off’ as my default setting around the guy. When you were younger this whole thing, none of it was set in stone. At least as far as we were concerned. That’s not to say we thought it wasn’t going to happen. We didn’t know what would happen. But God damn it Dani, you are the epitome of dedication if you could wait that long worlds apart at such a young age. And I’m proud of you for that, among many other things. I’m really quick to lose my temper because, well, I remember what I was like when I was twenty-five and my twenties were the peak of terrible decisions and doing things I would later come to regret. You’re far more level-headed than I was, much more like your father in that respect, but when I think about you being at this age in your first relationship, no doubt crazy in love, engaged, everything…I get worried. I know you won’t commit the same epic fuck ups I did. I think it’s more so the fact that I can’t be there when you do fuck up. I have to place all my trust in Loki to do that. Husband, boyfriend, whatever he is, that’s on his shoulders now. So not only do I have to trust someone else with you, I can’t be there for you anymore either. No more being woken up in the lab after a caffeine crash because you need help with your calculus homework. No more beef lo mein at three in the morning while having a marathon of _Game of Thrones_. I wonder if I still have those DVDs…? No more fixing DIGITAL. No more explaining thermonuclear astrophysics with Bruce when I run out ideas for bedtime stories…I have to give all that up. And I have to give you away. And I have to trust that I did a good job raising you so I don’t have to worry about you when you’re gone, but no parent can avoid that insecurity. It’s hard raising a kid when you’re an adult because you don’t remember what it’s like to be that age. But you’re an adult now; you’re going to have adult problems. Maybe not taxes and other ‘Earth people’ problems, but you’ll still have adult problems and I can’t be the Obi-Wan Kanobi to your Luke Skywalker to help you navigate those problems. I don’t know who is. It’s not as if I’ve met the in-laws either, except for Thor, but he’s here. Bottom line…I don’t care if you leave. You left for school. You leave for work all the time. But I’m not ready for you to be gone.”  
  
Danielle was silent for a few minutes, breathing slowly. She knew her dad would feel far more nervous and insecure about her leaving than her father, or at the very least show it, but she never expected to hear any of that. “I…Uh...Wow.” She blinked a few times. “Didn’t see that coming. Any of that.”  
  
“Sufficient enough answer for you?”  
  
“Yes times a bajillion.” _So now he’ll have to balance that with father’s reaction to the HYDRA news. Awesome. I do awesome things to people and put them in awesome situations with my awesomeness._  
  
“Tomorrow morning then, bright and early? The tests could take awhile and I’d like to knock it out in one go without making you late for your little field trip.”  
  
“Have some beef lo mein waiting for me?”  
  
“Naturally.”  
  
“And you’re not gonna stay up too late in the lab?” She raised an eyebrow. “Well now you’re just being unreasonable, young lady,” he joked. “No, I’ll need to be fully attentive for this. And Lover Boy is coming with I’m guessing?”  
  
“Don’t see why not.”  
  
“Alright. I wanted to be able to give everyone a head’s up. We’re all adjusting at our own pace. Some haven’t even spoken about it. But…if this is happening, this is happening. And we just need to get the hell over it. Pepper told me she talked with him on the phone this morning.”  
  
“She did?”  
  
“Yeah, about how you woke her up at an ungodly early morning hour and were re-entering full-fledged work mode, but Loki took your phone away and promised to keep you in the house until she gave the OK for you to go.”  
  
“Oh, yeah, that was a thing. That jackass took my phone, replaced it with an illusion, and made me fall asleep by kissing me! Of all the ways!”  
  
“Dani…If you were willing to do everything you’ve done up to this point to be with him, you have no right to complain about this _now_. You knew this was coming.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, well if he thinks that just because he has his power back means he’ll always have the upper hand, he’s got another thing coming,” she said assertively. Tony chuckled. “Slowly but surely you’re putting my concerns to rest. But if he does anything-”  
  
“Oh get in line! You guys will have to beat me to it.”  
  
“There is something else I’ve been meaning to ask you. Well actually your father wanted to ask you but he’s making dinner right now. You never knew the Loki that attacked New York. You never saw the Loki that attacked New York, tried to kill his brother. But you know it happened. And…you’re okay with that?”  
  
“One word dad- atonement. It’s a thing, it happened, he did it. Justification? No. But…he did have a point when he mentioned what Stark Industries used to do,” she pointed out. “We’re all killers dad, irrespective of who we’re killing. Some more so than others. Father killed Nazis, you killed Vanko, I killed Sigyn indirectly. ‘Good guys’ and ‘bad guys’ are a false binary, a social construct. There’s only a gray zone and we’re all swimming in it. I may not have seen the beginning but I saw the transition. S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers are just as much the bad guys as Loki was a good guy back then. Intent versus impact. He wanted to create peace, you guys destroyed most of Manhattan, the World Security Council wanted to make WMDs to protect the Earth. I know you tried to reduce the amount of civilian causalities as much as possible but…I’d say ask father about how tough that process is, but I don’t wanna trigger anything in him. It wasn’t hard for me to accept because I realized from the get go that the regret and confusion and acceptance were there.”  
  
“And despite his history, namely with us, you tried your damndest to help him for reasons you still don’t fully understand.” She nodded. “Yeah, I did. And I stand by my actions. Nothing will ever change that,” she replied boldly. “But I think I already made that pretty clear.”  
  
“Um, yeah. Yeah, you certainly did kiddo. Smells like dinner’s done so I gotta go. But before I do I wanna one making thing pretty clear myself. No one’s judging you for wanting to be with him, for being with him. If you’re happy and doing alright then hell, I see no reason to complain. If he breaks your heart I’ll break him, but to even try and deny seeing a difference in him now would just be pointless, so as strange as this is to say and probably even stranger for you to hear I don’t think he will. I think he knows how lucky he is and he isn’t gonna mess this up. You’d know the answer to this better than I but I get the feeling you’re the first good thing going for him in a long, long time.”  
  
“Dad, you’re starting to stir up my old ‘fuck feelings’ attitude,” she laughed. “But thanks. A lot.”  
  
“Ya know what? Maybe me and Junior should spend some quality time together before you leave. Give him a second chance. Try to actually get to know the guy who’s apparently swept my daughter off her feet. Or did you do the sweeping? God, I don’t know anything about your relationship now that I think about it. Send him over early tomorrow and we’ll bond, Earth-style.”  
  
“When you say ‘Earth-style’…?” she asked nervously. She could hear the grin in his response. “Oh ya know, baby pictures and embarrassing stories from childhood. Like your second Christmas! We’ll dig up that footage and show him what a menace you were thanks to Clint’s present.” She put her palm over her face and groaned. “I feel like now _you’re_ trying to take advantage of my relationship for some reason…”  
  
“Use Loki against you to get revenge for twenty-five years of pouting knowing full-well he’d never pass up the chance because everyone loves annoying their significant other and it’s a great opportunity for him to get blackmail on you? Danielle Olivia, what in blazes are you talking about?”  
  
“What?!”  
  
“See you tomorrow. I love you.”  
  
“Don’t you dare-!” _Click!_ “…hang up…” She put her phone on the bedside table and put her hands behind her head. “Don’t think I don’t know you’re standing there. So twins, huh? That was the secret you picked up on from Bobbi?” She propped herself up with her elbows and looked at the doorway, then raised an eyebrow. “I don’t like that look on your face.”  
  
“You shouldn’t,” Loki grinned as she pushed herself forward onto her stomach, chin in hands and legs kicking in the air behind her.  
  
“You heard everything my dad said just now,” Danielle deduced as he approached, and she dragged herself along to the end of the bed. “I heard all of it but that was the only part which captured my attention.”  
  
“And you’re gonna take him up on his offer.” He sat next to her and slowly started rubbing her back as if to assure her he was she had no reason to be suspicious, but only confirmed her suspicion with the false comfort he gave. “You’re already aware that you needn’t even ask. You know me so well.” She shot him a playfully sour expression. “Well if he’s threatening to bring out the footage from my second Christmas I can’t be too worried since it’s more amusing than embarrassing…Worried about what he’s gonna do at least. But enough about you being you and being up to no good as usual. You said you heard everything.” She rolled over onto her stomach, hands behind her head and his stroking her partially exposed abdomen. “That scientist Thor has been on-off with for pretty much my entire life, and prior, is coming here. I have a sneaking suspicion more relationship drama is gonna get stirred up at S.H.I.E.L.D.”  
  
“I wouldn’t restrict your expectations to Midgard, dear…” Her eyes widened and she broke into a mad grin. “Go on,” she urged excitedly.  
  
“I’m sure Sif is going to be thrilled,” he replied sarcastically. She cocked an eyebrow in confusion. “I thought it was just a political move? Their marriage I mean.”  
  
“It was. I might not have changed very much, but the rest of Asgard however…” Danielle’s eyes widened. “Sif is in love with Thor?” she gasped. “Oh fuck. Oh fuck and a half.” She tried to suppress a laugh as she sat up. “Well that’s gonna be a gigantic mess, since he’ll probably come back to be with her. They were on-off because of the distance and her job but if she’s here…working with Dr. Selvig…I see a cat fight in the near future. I can smell it almost.”  
  
“The last I had heard she was going to try and make him fall for her some way or another. Poor Amora has such fierce competition.”  
  
“Do you think he’ll try to nullify the marriage? It’s not like Sif wants the throne or anything and she’ll still have influence over the military forces of Asgard, won’t she?” Loki shrugged. “I’m not entirely certain how the entire process works considering mine was…unusually expeditious, to say the least.”  
  
“Speaking of…I know I wanted to put this talk off but I can't get it out of my head.  If the engagement is total crap and not an excuse to get me to Asgard, is it still gonna happen? If it does and I stay I get to add future queen to my resume but I won’t be able to see my family often, and if I don’t stay then I won’t be able to see you as often.” She gulped and glanced down at her ring. As if he had already prepared for that question he quickly replied, “I leave that to you. Unlike **someone** I wouldn’t dare try and dictate your life.”  
  
“It’s a tough decision to make…”  
  
“I know,” he said nodding slowly before kissing her on the forehead. “And I don’t expect you to have made that decision in the near future.”  
  
“But I can’t take too long either. And what is ‘too long’ anyway? Plus I fear that no matter what decision I make I’ll regret it because of the loss that will come with either one.” She curled her lips inward and shook her head. “I know this would’ve come up at some point, an engagement, ‘cause the potential was always there. I just had no idea I’d be shoved into it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to it, I just…don’t want to be forced into it because it’s all just so friggen’ sudden. Too much at once.”  
  
“And when the time comes the matter will be addressed. Right now you’re becoming frustrated over something that has yet to happen.”  
  
“You’re now the second person to point out to me that I’m doing it. ‘Panic and have a temper tantrum when there’s something worth panicking and losing your temper over right in front of you’ was what Uncle Clint said.”  
  
“He’s right. It’s not an issue until it becomes an issue, and at the current moment it’s not an issue. Right now the issue is these nightmares you keep suffering from. Which is the reason I haven’t forced you to sleep until earlier today when you were a little overenthusiastic. Sleep deprivation isn’t in your best interest but considering what these nightmares do to you, I couldn’t force you to be trapped in them for hours on end. If anything the stress it puts on your body may be more damaging than lack of sleep, in the grand scheme of things.”  
  
“I was actually going to ask why you hadn’t done that before but, well, that answers that question I guess. Thanks.”  
  
“For what? Doing what I’m supposed to?”  
  
“Supposed to?”  
  
He hung his head and sighed. “Someone clearly wasn’t mentally present during our conversation last night…” Her eyes lit up in realization. “Oh, right, because you love me and stuff…That makes sense. That makes a lot of sense. Don’t give me that look; I’m still dealing with sleep debt! Not to mention I did come back from Germany not long ago. Jet lag. It happens. Often.”  
  
“Speaking of, how are you feeling now?” He put a hand on her cheek and turned her head towards him. She folded her legs beneath her and shrugged. “This doesn’t say it all?” She pointed at the dark rings beneath her eyes. “I’m glad you haven’t been pushing me into it but…I’m not gonna be able to function. Especially if I have to test out a suit and keep my eyes peeled for anything weird during Ruby’s lil’ show and tell tomorrow. Considering the timing with the HYDRA thing it’s…They’re connected. I’m already convinced. I’m trying not to narrow my perception on the matter so I don’t get tunnel vision but…’blood and soil’. And Frost Enterprises is getting into genetic engineering. It’s a stretch, yeah, but what if they’re doing something tantamount to eugenics through genetic experimentation and manipulation?”  
  
“Creating the perfect race?”  
  
“What better way to bring Ragnarok to Midgard than to create that racial hierarchy? Pits humans against…I would say humans but I don’t know what they could be doing there. And Ruby is a fucking idiot, no more than her mom’s puppet. If Emma’s running the show and using Ruby as a front she’ll be too busy running the operation and Ruby’s idiocy could very well be the reason that Aunt Natasha picked up those messages so easily.”  
  
“Yes, she wasn’t very impressive, that one. Rather daft.”  
  
“On average I’ve noticed in her memos and other important documents she sends or uses in our exchanges she mixes up ‘to’, ‘two’, and ‘too’ 87.48342% of the time. And yes, all those significant figures are important. Raised by two scientists, can’t help it.” She yawned softly and leaned forward, resting her forehead on shoulder. “Knock me out again tonight, okay? I need to confront this thing, especially if it’s seemingly related to the nonsense in Asgard and Ragnarok. I need to do some…field work.”

* * *

**Danielle’s Dream**  
  
  
There were no flames, no ice, and no deafening roars. All Danielle felt was a soft fabric on her body, a gentle breeze blowing over her, soft grass beneath her, and a throbbing ache in her head. She sat up slowly, clutching her forehead and blinked as her blurred vision began to clear. She was on an open plain wearing the same gown she had been given during her stay in Asgard. She recognized the sky above as the night sky of the divine realm. Her surroundings felt familiar and she assumed them to be the same place she had experienced the clash of the elements in her first few nightmares.  
  
“And she’s awake,” a cheerfully malign voice from behind her chirped. She shivered anxiously, recognizing it as the voice of the Tesseract. She dare not look behind her, sitting perfectly still as footsteps approached her. An ethereal, wispy humanoid form sat beside her in a casual position. It was glowing deep blue, the very color of the Tesseract and radiated an aura instilling a deep fear inside her. Able to sense her feelings the faceless form chuckled and turned to her. “Why the fright, hm?”  
  
“What do you want from me? Why are you contacting me?” she demanded in a shaky voice, wrapping her arms around herself to stay warm.  
  
“A good question indeed,” it replied condescendingly. “You know who I am, yes?”  
  
“I know what you are. The cube.”  
  
“I am inside the cube. And so are you. I am the…essence of the Tesseract if you will.”  
  
“Can I call you Tess for short?” she asked curtly. It chuckled again. “I don’t know why it’s you. You’re brave, selfless, smart, open-minded, quick on your feet, compassionate…Rather boring for a Sagittarius. So many have come to hold me when I was lucky enough to leave Odin’s watchful eye. But none were able to tap into me like you did and they followed noble causes. They were driven. You go with the motions. You follow your fate blindly. And when I stopped fate, when I opened that door for you, you made a most noble decision. Had you gone against your word the original Ragnarok prophecies would have come true. The Loki of your nightmares, your family’s enemy, he would have risen from the ashes.” The words the Norns had shared with Hel echoed around her from all directions and her breathing quickened.  
  
“We have a bond because of what you did. And I can’t understand why. All you did was tear apart the original prophecy, change the course of fate altogether. Oh there are so many things I wish I could share with you, but you’ll learn soon enough when we reunite in person, in Asgard. Those others, I would try to bring out the best in them and hope it would reciprocate. But nothing. Nothing changed when they made their choices. I would whisper all these sweet nothings in their ears, pushing them forward in their journeys. But you, you just held me. You had no real goal, no objective. You acted in a moment. And that moment made all the difference. Joan of Arc fought in the name of the God of your father. Chiang Kai-Shek, though a radical nationalist, united the people of his country despite ethnicity and religion. Your lover wanted to bring peace to your silly little planet and your silly little people. Sigyn and Johann Schmidt wanted power. Selfish, hackneyed, but they had undeniable resolve even if they lacked the intelligence and resources to see their plans through. S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to create weapons to protect your silly little planet and your silly little people from greater threats. Everyone I have ever encountered, came into possession of save Odin, wanted to use me for war. Creating war, winning war, ending war…You found yourself in a war bred from residual disdain and anger directed at your dad, your –at the time- future lover. You are no warrior. You are an icon, a ‘savior’. You’re nothing special.”  
  
She let out a low laugh. “You’re probably the first person to tell me that. It’s pretty refreshing considering how I’ve always been treated.”  
  
“Are you prepared for the consequences of your actions?” She felt a doubtful eyebrow raised at her. “A new war is brewing. A new Ragnarok. And with it a new future which you will write. Every action, every decision you’ve done and made since our last encounter has torn apart the old prophecy and set in stone –no pun intended- the new war. And no certain future will exist until the new war ends. Its outcome will determine the course of the universe. Quite the responsibility for someone so boring and lax to bear.” She narrowed her eyes. “What kind of consequences?”  
  
“Oh who knows? Nothing is certain. But there is one thing I have seen time and time again…I don’t know why, but it doesn’t seem to have any intention of changing. Before I show you let’s see if you can commit this all to memory, aside from just ‘blood and soil, retribution’, shall we?” She nodded slowly.  
  
“'Bright light joins with empty eyes. Joined by rivals two, and four unite. Three cast out by bearer’s lies, must lift veils from the bloodline’s eyes. Fanatic minds led by poisoned heart manipulate flesh with chaotic art. Believing obligation to contributions; blood and soil, retribution'.” Danielle felt as though the spirit was grinning at her as she desperately tried to remember it all, repeating it over and over under her breath. She didn’t even bother asking questions or trying to decode. She could tackle it when she awoke.  
  
“What’s the consequence you mentioned?”  
  
“Hm…I don’t know…Can your fragile and loving little heart handle it?” She grit her teeth. “If I can handle you then you had damn well show me.” It laughed again. “Handle me? As is in wield, or tolerate?”  
  
“Both!” she snapped. It sighed and lay down in the grass, pointing before them. As Danielle turned to face forward her eyes widened in horror. The once pristine and clear field had been set ablaze by an unknown source, charred corpses littering the land. Most were foreign but some she could distinguish. Fenrir, Sif, and Odin fell down one by one to her left, right, and behind her. All three had been mangled, twisted, and almost burnt to the point of no longer being recognizable. She had to cover her mouth and fight back a scream when a fourth body fell at her feet. The spirit had disappeared but she could hear its voice laughing in the distance. “I warned you, didn’t I?” it called as Loki’s bloody and battered form collapse in front of her. Swallowing hard, she leaned forward to examine the horrific sight. His breathing was shallow, clearly on the brink of death. She slowly reached out a hand which he quickly grabbed and pulled her forward so she was on her hands and knees. He squeezed her wrist and glared her down, her face above his.  
  
“Didn’t I tell you that you would be the death of me?” he snarled through labored breaths before fading into death’s embrace, literally. Hel appeared before her and she looked up to meet her piercing green eyes as rigor mortis set in, his grip on her wrist tightening. “Danielle, Danielle,” she chided quietly over the roar of the flames, “look at what you’ve done. All you ever do is bring pain and suffering to those you claim to love, to care for. Your parents, your entire family, my brother and father!” She felt the ground begin to shake beneath her. A fault line began to tear through the earth, snaking towards her at lightning speed and pulling her into the seemingly endless abyss that opened beneath her.


	7. I Want to Say it as Much as You Want to Hear it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has something to say...and few are thrilled to hear it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay dear readers. I needed to further flesh out some future scenes and plot points (where things really start to get juicy!) and since we're in a bit of a filler stage I've been a little negligent. Not to mention the ending of this chapter gave me hell; I changed it so many fricken' times. I'll be going back to do some editing to make sure everything is still consistent since I've mentally undergone some plot changes; wanna make sure everything's all lined up for the new-ish directions I have in mind.
> 
> So who wants their heartbroken? Originally GP was going to be a stand alone, Loki was going to be a bad guy (no Sigyn, Chitauri, anything), the one who kidnapped Dani, and she was gonna kill him after getting rescued and Tony was almost gonna die. Yeah. And somehow out of that I derived...THIS. Our dearly beloved Danoki OTP. sdhfks;gkgd;lfkgjkdlfhgjlf don't ask me how that happened.
> 
> I know I've been using Avenger's Tower and Mansion interchangeably; in cannon they aren't the same, but since it functions as both a base of operations and residential area I sorta kinda have difficulty differentiating conceptually speaking.
> 
> FANART I MADE FOR THE SERIES CAN BE FOUND HERE- http://taoandthen.deviantart.com/ (Also posting the stories there too)
> 
> BIG NEWS-  
> Hints for the third installment of the series in here! Question is...will you catch them?

**Asgard, Forest of Gioll  
**

Having spent the majority of her life ruling over the souls of the ‘unworthy dead’, the most vile and despicable beings who were just as cruel in death as they were in life, as well as taking on the responsibility of watching her younger half-brothers had hardened Hel. She rarely if ever felt fear but when she did it was impossible to break through her façade, be it collected and logical or enraged and fierce. As she sat down at the bank of a small river in the woods where Fenrir was once kept prisoner, dangling her feet in the cool fresh water she sighed and looked over her shoulder. Fenrir was laying down behind her, curled in a comfortable ball with his back pressed to hers.  
  
“Are you afraid?” she asked quietly. He lifted his head and looked at her slightly confused. “You know. Of all of this. I lost my domain. The mists of Niflheim are ripping their way through Yggdrasil, destination unknown with Nidhogg, Garm, and my former subjects not far behind. And the closer it becomes the slower it will move because of the way time operates. Drawing out the inevitable as the ascent decreases in speed…I can only hope Danielle arrives before it is within proximity of Muspelheim.” Hel hiccupped and furiously rubbed her eyes. Fenrir shifted his position so he was facing her back, his front legs stretched out on either side of her. He pressed his muzzle against her back comfortingly.  
  
“Thank you brother,” she whispered as she began swaying her decaying legs back and forth in the water, agitating the maggots who had taken up residence within as she reached out behind her to scratch his ear. “War looms over the horizon and its outcome rests on Danielle. Inadvertently father as well because of their bond, because of her decision the Norns spoke of. I trust her in the sense that she is capable but that is quite the cross to bear. The pressure…” She sniffled and whispered, “I feel so powerless. For centuries I have guarded my realm, protected our younger brothers, and now…I do not bear any ill will towards her. She intrigues me. And words can’t begin to express how much I appreciate everything she’s done for our family as a whole, not just father.” Fenrir snorted in agreement. “Regardless I know nothing of her ability to focus under this pressure. And I worry about our father because of his connections to her. I believe she’s a good match for him, don’t misinterpret my words, but if that is her role then what’s his? He has no influence over the Tesseract for Odin’s sake. But I highly doubt he’s only meant to stand by her side and support her. What do you think?”  
  
Fenrir let out a soft whimper. “A test?” she asked curiously. “How so? Their relationship? Her ability to balance it, nurture it while handling her influence over the future? Odin's beard, I hope not. That could be disastrous. The pressure would impact both of them. They are bound to each other, sharing one path, but…Sharing a path doesn’t necessarily mean it will be smiles and sunshine. And every relationship becomes strained at some point or another. Not permanently, but inevitably.” She clutched her chest in pain, wincing as her breathing quickened. “I think it’s time to go back,” she murmured. Fenrir rose and picked her up by the back of her gown with his enormous jaws, setting her in between his shoulder blades and began to make the trek back to the castle.  
  
“You never answered my question you know,” she pointed out as she clutched his fur to keep her balance as he moved. “Are you?” He turned his head slightly and glanced at her with cold eyes, though the anger he felt was by no means directed at his younger sister. Suppressing a chuckle she replied, “How typical of you to care more about the family than the war itself. I’m sure you can smell it on me. The fear that I feel.” She gripped his fur tighter. “My fear is being a helpless little girl, unable to fight back. I will take back what is mine, rest assured, and by **any** means necessary. But whether or not I’ll be in any state to do so soon…I want to fight. I want to be strong enough. But I was taken down in my own realm!” She shook her head. Fenrir growled low in his throat. “Alright, I’ll relax. No need to scold.  I know it’s putting more stress on my already damaged body. But really brother, can you blame me for being defensive?” She exhaled deeply. “Gods forbid Vali and Narfi see me in such a state…Damn this impulse to always stay strong for their sake. Don’t snarl at me like that. I know I’m putting more pressure on myself. But you’re just as guilty as I, you enormous furry hypocrite. Watch it! Pretend to knock me off again and I’ll knock your teeth out.”

* * *

 **The Next Morning, S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, New York Base, 8:28 AM**  
  
  
Bobbi wasn’t allowed near the labs anymore so other agents had to move her belongings to her new office where she would be performing analyses and evaluations of findings in any evidence that had been uncovered. Under no circumstances was she to assume her alter-ego Mockingbird and enter the field or come near the chemicals she spent the majority of her young adult life studying and learning about. Her only intention when initiating the conversation with Fury was to become familiar with the maternity leave policies, or if S.H.I.E.L.D. even had any in place. Not only did she accomplish her goal, she found herself being coddled and though emotionally labile as of late she wasn’t fond of such treatment; she was still trying to push out the memory of her public breakdown. She had always prided herself in her independence and capabilities, especially as a woman working in the male-dominated scientific field where she continually put others to shame even before joining S.H.I.E.L.D. She had established herself as a household name of sorts in the field of biochemistry and later on forensic science. Now she was confined to an office, her microscopes and test tubes replaced by a computer, projector, and other generic office supplies. Her knowledge in the field was no doubt invaluable but her well-being was far more; scientists will come and go but there was only one Bobbi Morse. And the aforementioned agent wasn’t thrilled about working with Natasha.  
  
A knock on the open door of her new workplace caught her attention. She paused the solitaire game she was playing to pass the time while she waited for Natasha to arrive, both surprised and uncomfortable upon seeing Clint in her doorway.  
  
“Hey,” he greeted quietly. “Just wanted to see how the transition went.” He looked around the office which was rather plain and full of boxes she had yet to unpack. “Need help with those?” He nodded towards the collection she had accumulated in the corner. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Just because we’re on speaking terms doesn’t mean you can act like nothing happened. Or baby me. I’m still capable of heavy lifting…for now.”  
  
“I’m not trying to. I just…I thought I made it apparent that I wanted to take responsibility and-”  
  
“Then why don’t you get knocked up instead?” she snapped. “It’s all the rage with seahorses. I don’t need anything from you until they’re born, unless you want to tag along to ultrasounds. And even when they are born I won’t need much from you. They will, but I won’t.”  
  
“Look Bobbi, I don’t wanna intrude. Just wanted you to know that…despite what happened…I am still here.” She rested an elbow on her desk and put her forehead in her hand. “Still here? Are you fucking joking?" she asked duciously, narrowing her eyes. "The audacity Clint…Aside from wanting to take responsibility you made it apparent where you want to be, and it definitely wasn’t here.”  
  
“I’m not looking to pick a fight Bobbi. And for the record you were the one who put me in that position."  He pointed at her. "You asked me to pick. She’s my best friend. She has been for years, especially after what happened in Budapest. I didn’t pick her over you, I picked the one who wasn’t telling me I had to pick. I'm not a fan of ultimatums. We were together for years and not once did you ever show any discomfort regarding my friendship with Natasha. And then out of nowhere…That’s why I was so angry. I felt like you had been hiding it from me.”  
  
She gave a low laugh. “Not just you. Myself,” she replied. “I tried to accept it Clint, I really did. But I found your history with her threatening, and what happened in Budapest didn’t help. And even if she is gay and married…” She paused. “Don’t think even for a fraction of a second I don’t know that at some point in time you were in love with her. Call it woman’s intuition, call it whatever you want, but you must’ve been.”  
  
“Why? Because biology says it’s impossible for men and women to just be friends?  You can't keep using something I know nothing about against me.”  
  
“Can't I?  Now were you or weren’t you?” she demanded. He sighed and averted her gaze. “Yes. Yes I was. And I thought it was mutual. I didn’t know she was a lesbian. She was in the closet. Not because she didn’t want people to know, because she never had any intention of being in a relationship. She’s an extremely guarded person, which is part of the reason I value our friendship so much. Jesus, I was supposed to kill her. And then, I don’t know. We clicked and I thought there was something mutual, more than just a friendship, but I was wrong. I felt like an idiot, especially after I realized that you were flirting with me back then. She’s the one who encouraged me to date you, you know that?”  
  
“Oh, so I had her seal of approval? That means so much to me,” she said sarcastically, putting a hand on her heart.  
  
“That’s not what I meant. I meant that despite what she knew of how I felt she never pushed me away or cut me off, which I found really weird since she’s closed off. And being encouraged by her both as a person I thought I’d lost _and_ that person still being my best friend, I never would’ve worked up the confidence to talk to you again after my first blunder. It has nothing to do with her approving of you, but what she did and said proved to me that she valued me as a friend. And knowing that I meant that much to someone so guarded got me thinking that maybe I could mean something to someone else too. Someone not as guarded.  And not just as a friend. She just wanted me to be happy. She wanted us to be happy.”  
  
“She knows about the twins?”  
  
“After that public meltdown you had I think everyone knows. That room we talked in…Not soundproof. But I talked to her about it because I didn’t know what the hell to do. Definitely wasn’t prepared for that. For this. And I couldn’t help but wonder if you had a Natasha of your own. Hence my ‘still here’ offer.”  
  
She hesitated to respond as she digested his words. “I…I appreciate the sentiment…”  
  
He shrugged casually. “Well, um, I didn't really have anything else to say, sothanks for sitting through my ramble. Sorry for the awkwardness. I’m needed elsewhere anyway."  He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "And it looks like you have work to do…”  
  
“Yeah, solitaire is a very demanding task.”  
  
“I meant unpacking.” She waved a hand dismissively. “I’ll get around to it. Thanks for, I don’t know, expressing concern I guess.”  
  
“I feel like it would be a dick move if I didn’t.”  
  
“More of her brilliant advice?”  
  
He shook his head. “Nope. My thoughts on the matter. I am capable of thinking for myself; not everything I do is Natasha influenced.  We’re both able to civil towards each other, or trying to be, so now my initial anger is no longer clouding my thought process.”  
  
“Nor is my hysteria.”  
  
He sighed sympathetically. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. I think most would’ve reacted that way if they were in your position. So, um, this might be a weird question but…do you have any checkups soon? I’d like to tag along if you don’t mind.” She chuckled and shook her head. “You said you’d be involved, and I’m holding you to that.” There was a cough behind Clint. Both he and Bobbi looked behind him and saw Natasha standing there, an awkward lopsided grin on her face. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything. Just wanted to bring Bobbi up to speed on the situation before we get to work, pending Dani’s findings.” The blonde became visibly annoyed and curious, unaware of Danielle's involvement, but maintained her professional composure. “Welcome to my humble abode,” she greeted monotone as Natasha stepped past Clint, giving him a confused raise of her eyebrow. He shook his head, which she interpreted as ‘We’ll talk later’.

* * *

 **Danielle’s Dream**  
  
  
The blonde didn’t remember when or how she ended up wandering the debris-filled corridors of a destroyed palace, undeniably the Asgardian royal palace, but after she fell into the abyss she wound up skirting around piles of fallen stone and crumbling pillars. She meandered throughout the seemingly endless amount of hallways and corridors, hoping to run into the obnoxious spirit of the Tesseract again. Even if she was developing a strong dislike for it the spirit was a reliable and, much to her chagrin, the only resource she could turn to at the current moment.  Loki was right in guessing that the cube could not only access other worlds but it had the capability to create a gateway into the subconscious mind, and even pull them into cube itself. She was literally having an out-of-body experience whenever she dreamt.  
  
The images of the destruction and carnage had been burned into her mind but she tried to push them out by focusing on the riddle the spirit had told her. She repeated it over and over, hoping that when she awoke she would still remember it and have the opportunity to try and decode it then. At the moment she was in no position to try and solve riddles but the attempt helped her focus on the immediate. Because the walls had fallen she had a perfect view of the world outside and it appeared to be untouched by the devastation of war; either this was a new dream altogether or she was exploring another potential future and would continue to walk through a series of them until she woke up.  
  
Even if what she saw lacked substantial explanation finding herself in a battlefield made far more sense than a decrepit citadel in the middle of a land that was anything but war-torn. She was starting to wonder, and desperately hoping and praying to no one in particular, that this was all symbolic in some way or another. It would be fitting for the Goddess of death, and her potential future step-daughter no less, to appear before her in the midst of the devastation. And death was almost always a symbol of change in the transformative sense, not a literal cessation of life, so the ‘deaths’ she saw could have easily meant the changes Asgard was experiencing; more specifically how the changes Asgard was experiencing affected each individual inhabitant. Odin, as king, was under severe amounts of stress which Danielle was seemingly meant to alleviate. Sif, the brilliant warrior, was falling prey to her emotions and developing feelings for her close friend and husband through a marriage of convenience. Fenrir had a new and undefined role in the war to come now that he was no longer destined to be the death of the Allfather. But regardless of whatever symbolic meaning Loki’s death could hold she couldn’t stop shaking and clutching her stomach, feeling nauseous and light-headed after witnessing it.  
  
“Maybe…maybe it’s like what Fenrir’s could be,” she whispered to herself as she continued to walk the shadowy halls. “He’s not going to lead an army of jotunn anymore like everyone initially believed. And me being the death of him…Perhaps that was a reference to the old him? The Loki the tried to take Midgard and enslave the humans? There was no wound, at least not that I noticed…Then again I wasn’t really looking…Too busy being traumatized…” She leaned against a cracked pillar to try and slow her breathing. The pain in her stomach grew more intense but it was no longer revulsion-induced; Danielle felt a sensation uncomfortably similar to the disease she contracted in her captivity on the Chitauri home planet. This nausea she felt was caused by an illness of some sort. The muscles of her abdominal region began to tighten and she grit her teeth.  
  
“What in the ever loving fuck?!” she growled under her breath. She covered her mouth to stifle a shriek when a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. It bore a strong resemblance to the overwhelming cold she felt in her first nightmare, the same cold she had associated with the miserable realm of Niflheim. But that didn’t explain why she felt it inside herself, both the cold of Niflheim and the element of Niflheim exclusively.  
  
“Niflheim was cold and empty, but it didn’t feel like fucking Antarctica. It was just blistery and shitty. This is like a blizzard in my guts. Same feeling from the first dream. Could that cold…” she began through heavy breaths, “could that have been Jotunnheim instead? That place actually is a winter wonderland, Niflheim’s just a tundra. But why the shit would Jotunnheim be fighting against Muspelheim? Everyone is gonna fight everyone in a shittacular battle royale I guess…” Her eyes widened as she clutched her stomach tighter. “‘Bright light joins with empty eyes’. Muspelheim’s lights cause the Northern and Southern Lights. And ‘empty eyes’ could only be Helheim…and by extension, Niflheim. ‘Joined by rivals two, and four unite’. Two other rivals…Jotunnheim and Vanaheim? Those four realms and Asgard will be pitted against each other. Smart of the elves to stay out of this crap. But Midgard…Isn’t HYDRA trying to bring the war to Midgard? ‘Believing obligation to contributions; blood and soil, retribution’! HYDRA, rather the Wotanists which HYDRA is composed of, feel an obligation to take part in Ragnarok. That’s why they aren’t in the battle royale, they’re inserting themselves into the war. But how in the frick do they even know it’s happening?”  
  
“You’re too smart for your own good. Do you know that?” She rolled her eyes and grit her teeth again, careful not to bite her tongue when the ethereal form materialized before her. “You’ve already figured part of it out despite your recent brush with trauma. Well aren’t we tough?”  
  
She squeezed her eyes tightly. “I have a bad history of not letting my feelings get the better of me. My feelings like to intrude on my endeavors. Which I guess isn’t the worst thing in the world…If they didn’t, well, I’d still be single and Loki would probably be a crazy fuck planning the end of the Nine Realms as we know them. Two questions for ya.”  
  
“I can’t promise an answer.”  
  
“Don’t care, talking anyway. First, how could the humans know what’s going on? Odin’s little panic?”  
  
“It’s the end of the UNIVERSE, not just Asgard. Things are getting messy everywhere. Though that isn’t necessarily because of natural disaster. There’s a gossipy little critter who’s probably running around stirring up drama. In a way he’s instigating the attacks to come, or at least the cause of the current motivation. If I had to guess, as I’m by no means as omniscient as people give me credit for, he tipped off someone in Midgard. Perhaps the head of this new HYDRA. Oh, now there’s a funny thought. The hydra creature had multiple heads! I’m so clever…”  
  
“And annoying. Question two.” She slid down until she was sitting on the ground, still holding onto her stomach. “Why do I feel like my insides are freezing? The same cold that I felt in the first nightmare I had? It’s not Niflheim, it’s Jotunnheim. You just confirmed my theory by saying I had decoded your riddle.”  
  
“Couldn’t say. Perhaps you take a little sojourn there and die of hypothermia? Or maybe HYDRA gets their hands on you, messes around with your insides, and makes you half-yeti? That could explain what’s happening to your forearm.” She narrowly opened her eyes and looked down. A large handprint was wrapped around her right forearm; either it was left behind a colored mark after contact or her skin itself had changed to light blue. Her eyes widened. “What the fuck?” she breathed and her mind immediately jumped to the story of the day Thor stormed into Jotunnheim accompanied by Sif, the Warriors Three, and Loki. The very day that the exact same thing had happened to her fiancé and he learned what he really was. Danielle was a lot of things but jotunn certainly wasn’t one of them. She raised her arm and brought it to her eyes, curiosity overriding the excruciating pain as she examined the bizarre mark. “That’s…a big hand,” she muttered, blinking in surprise. The spirit laughed and began walking in circles around her and the broken pillar she was sitting against.  
  
“Jotunn sized, if we’re going to be technical. Regular jotunn that is, not ‘runt of the litter’ jotunn.” She could sense it smirking at her and shot it a glare, catching his comment as an obvious stab at Loki. “How did he ever get it on with a normal sized jotunn woman in the first place?” it wondered aloud, rubbing its chin. “Multiple times at that. As far as I know Fenrir, Jormungand, and Hel aren’t triplets. But good things come in small packages, right? Is that how you humans say it?”  
  
“If you weren’t practically ectoplasmic I’d give you a first-hand demonstration of what inheriting the SSS allows me to do. For example, pummel your face into the floor until it’s flatter than a pancake. Or lift up this pillar behind me and use it as a baseball bat.” She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. “Guess who the baseball is.”  
  
“You’re quick to get defensive when it comes to lover boy, aren’t you? Always protecting him…Who protects Danielle? Are you ever the vulnerable one? When you were kidnapped you stayed tough for everyone. When you were dying you told Sigyn you weren’t afraid of frostbite, right? When you were dead, face to face with Hel herself, you were so casual. And when you came back to life you treated it as a commonplace occurrence. Not even in Asgard does that happen! It’s happened in Egypt, Greece, and Rome, that I know for sure, but not here. Or Vanaheim. That pissed a few people off you know, since Baldr the beautiful and brave wasn’t allowed to come back to life. You’re always taking everything in stride. Will you be able to maintain your composure when the time comes for you to take your little trip to the land of honey mead and shiny things?"  
  
“We’ll see when that happens, won’t we? Not planning for anything in particular. Just gonna go with what happens.”  
  
“That’s my point exactly!” it exclaimed throwing its arms in the air. “So collected under pressure, so able to strategize and stay quick on your feet even when cornered, always ready and able to adapt.”  
  
“You say it like it’s a bad thing. It has yet to fail me.”  
  
“Perhaps you will fail it,” the spirit countered. “Really and truly it doesn’t matter how easily you solve my riddles, because if you can’t keep yourself together how will you be able to put that big brain of yours to use? What use will you be if you lose your composure?”  
  
“You sound convinced I will…Not just pointing out the possibility, but legitimately believe I will.”  
  
“Listen blondie. You can hardly handle these nightmares of yours. And they show you what’s happening or will likely happen based on your actions so far. The blurry little future that’s starting to come together. When you have to face the real thing-”  
  
“Then I’ll know what to anticipate,” she snapped. “Like it or not you’re stuck with me as your emissary or flesh mouthpiece or whatever the hell I am to you. But communication goes both ways, buddy. Throw the riddles at me, I don’t care. Show me all this crap that’s scaring me to death, I don’t care. But don’t you dare underestimate me and my ability to keep control over a situation when need be. Tell me whatever the fuck you can, you want, and I’ll show you how this nightmare-ridden blondie gets shit taken care of. With fear comes awareness. And with awareness comes the ability to prepare. Nothing wrong with being afraid. Only idiots don’t get scared. Fear isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s recognition of the severity of what you’re up against. Fear is how courage is bred. Without fear actions come from bravado, arrogance, overestimating one’s self. Humility and a reminder of one’s limitations, one’s _inabilities_ are preferable to assuming the capacity of one’s abilities. I used to hide it all the time, yeah, but I definitely felt it. I’ll be the first to admit I’m one fucking scared little girl.”  
  
“Listen to you,” it mocked. “Your father taught you all that didn’t he? You really were raised by a soldier.”  
  
“A super soldier," she corrected. "And a super genius. I was raised by superheroes. You said so yourself, I’m no hero. But I don’t have to be a hero to be capable. I just need to be able to let myself be afraid. So go ahead and terrify me. I’d like to have an idea of what I might be in for once I hit up good ‘ole Asgard.” It stopped circling and stood before her, arms folded across its translucent chest. She felt as if it was sizing her up in her pathetic state. The strange mark on her arm and the pain in her abdomen had disappeared but she felt weak and drained physically, emotionally, and mentally.  
  
“Maybe this is why you and me clicked. Because you aren’t a hero. You aren’t anything special. Just a kid born with special abilities you never asked for, never fought for, never tried to obtain. You never became an Avenger, just a filled a vacancy. And you weren’t looking to save the world. You were just trying to save the guy you were falling in love with. Everything else happened along the way. But we still have yet to answer the million dollar question. Who protects Danielle? Danielle doesn’t protect Danielle anymore. You stopped doing that.”  
  
“Guess we’ll find out when it happens, won’t we?”  
  
“If you let someone.”  
  
“Not as big of an ‘if’ as it used to be.”  
  
“An ‘if’ is still an ‘if’. So are you going to tell him what you saw? All the death?” She could feel it grinning at her. Danielle chuckled quietly, trying not to aggravate her recovering abdominal muscles. “What reason would I have to keep it a secret? Just because you keep seeing it doesn’t mean it’s gonna happen. Nothing is certain. Not unless I say so. And I say fuck that noise.” She slammed a fist on the ground, leaving a deep indent and sent cracks rippling through the stone floor.  
  
“Speaking of noise, it’s time for us to part Danielle.”  
  
“What does that have to do with noise?” She covered her ears as an obnoxiously loud screeching sound began to echo throughout the fallen castle walls, scraping against the inside of her skull.  
  
“Don’t tell me you thought these dreams occurred in Asgard time, since you’re in the Tesseract? They happen in real time, silly.”

* * *

 **Danielle’s House, 8:00 AM**  
  
  
A limp arm reached out and blindly groped around for a cell phone temporarily acting as an alarm clock until a replacement was obtained. Danielle’s eyes slowly flickered open as she grabbed her phone and turned it off, sighing deeply. Her vision was blurred and her face was warm and wet; there were a few dark splotches on her pillow. _I was crying in my sleep?_ she thought as she rubbed her eyes and yawned. _That’s new_. She rolled over onto her stomach and poked a sleeping Loki on the nose. He groaned in his sleep and swatted her hand away before turning onto his side, facing away from her. She sighed and put an arm over his chest, her hand lazily stroking his shoulder.  
  
“Hey you, wake up,” she murmured. “I…I really need to talk to you.” He yawned softly. “Nightmare?” he mumbled as he slowly began to wake up. She nodded and pulled herself closer so her chest was pressed against his back. She rested her chin on his exposed shoulder as she tried not to focus too heavily on the images burned into her memory. “Yeah. A really intense one. I saw…Fuck, the stuff I saw…” She gulped and he reached up to hold her hand, interlocking their fingers. “What did you see?” he asked quietly as he rolled onto his back. She bit her lip apprehensively. “I…I don’t wanna say it because saying it makes it seem all the more real, like breathing life into it or something. I know what I see isn’t guaranteed to happen but still…Witnessing your death is…It’s not fun. It’s really not fun…” Her voice tapered into a whisper and his eyes shot open. He shifted his gaze at her. “What?” he gasped.  
  
Eyes glazed over from a forced numbness she nodded again. “Yeah, I…It was…I think it was symbolic but…Just give me sec. I need to, I need to get my thoughts together.” He slid his free arm beneath her and she lay her head on his chest, listening intently to his heartbeat for reassurance that the hellish dream had ended and he was very much alive. She was unable to articulate anything coherently, stumbling through her syllables as she tried to carefully and elaborately explain every detail of the visions and her conversation with the Tesseract’s sentient form, making sure to mention it was incredibly obnoxious. After she finished Loki was quiet for an uncomfortably long period of time. She tightened her fingers around his and squeezed her eyes tightly, trembling slightly. He began rubbing her back in a circular motion to soothe her even if only a little.  
  
“I think your theory is correct,” he finally said and she slowly opened her eyes. With a sardonic smile she whispered, “Lucky me. So far it’s come true though. With HYDRA I mean.”  
  
“But that had already been established. You were being informed of something already transpiring. This is derelict precognition at best. And having the awareness allows for the potential to prevent it, which you already made mention of. You’re losing confidence in your theory, aren’t you?”  
  
“Yeah…”  
  
“Don’t. That’s the last thing you should be doing right now.”  
  
“That’s asking a lot.”  
  
“I rescind my words. Underestimating yourself is the last thing you should be doing right now. You are capable, you know that. It’s difficult to believe right now, I know, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s true.” He kissed her forehead. “Not to mention you solved that fraction of the riddle swiftly and adeptly.” He nodded towards her dry erase board. “Make note so you don’t forget.”  
  
“Yeah, good idea.” She sat up and stretched her arms. She hopped out of bed and grabbed a sweatshirt from her closet, the November chill beginning to settle on the east coast. She rubbed her hands together for warmth and flipped her board over to record her new information. Loki watched her fastidiously form each letter and every meticulous motion of her wrist as she worked. She was extremely drained but that could never stop her from taking care of that which needs to be done, even if at her own expense. He still couldn’t comprehend how she managed to maintain such an unwavering dedication to her objectives regardless of any opposition she may encounter, and though this trait had a history of getting her into trouble he admired it nonetheless. If there was one thing Danielle could be depended on for, it was to be dependable.  
  
She rested a hand on her abdoment.  “Still dunno what those weird stomach pains were. Or the…blue skin thing. Speaking of.” She turned to him. “Since it’s starting to get kinda chilly would you mind if I turned up the heat? I know you’re kinda sensitive to it.” He sat and reclined against the headboard, shaking his head as he tried not to laugh. _Quite the segue Danielle_. “Apparently you’ve forgotten how many layers I generally wear.” She snorted in amusement and returned to writing. “No, not at all,” he continued. “We won’t be here for much longer so I doubt you’ll need to increase the temperature very much. A little rise in heat won’t kill me.” Danielle froze and Loki winced at his use of the colloquialism. “And that was terrible word choice on my part. I apologize dear.” Poorly attempting to insert a little humor she replied with a nervous laugh and an unsteady voice, “Like I could ever expect you to police that tongue.” He grinned. “You know me so well.”  
  
“Are you gonna take up my dad’s offer?” She continued to write, hand still shaking and desperate for a subject change. “I’m curious to see what he has to offer me.” He slid out from under the covers and walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She rested her free hand on top of his as she jotted down the last few bits of information. “You’re not the only one…He did mention my second Christmas…I think you'd get a kick out of it.  It's pretty damn funny. My family didn’t think so but, well, my parents wanted me so they brought it upon themselves. I wasn’t a very fussy baby but I grew at a very fast pace for a human thanks to the serum and once I was around seven months I turned into a little monster. Gave everyone hell.”  
  
“A phase you have yet to outgrow,” he teased. “Oh hush you,” she scolded playfully. She capped her marker and turned around in his embrace, resting her tightly clenched fists against his chest. “Head over before me. I need some time to calm down and, no offense, but seeing you and being around you is stirring up the crap I saw and heard. Besides, my dad wants to spend some ‘quality time’ bonding with you.”  
  
“Quality time with your parents.  Hardly an incentive to go. Will you alright by yourself?” he asked as he ran his fingers through her hair.  She shrugged. “Dunno. But either way I could be miserable, or some time by myself will help me relax. If it doesn’t change anything or, fuck forbid make it worse, I’ll head over right away.  Promise.” He thought about her request for a few seconds and then nodded, pushing her bangs out of her eyes and tucking them behind her ear. “Alright.”  
  
“Thanks Loki. Oh yeah, question. That gossipy thing the spirit mentioned. Any ideas?”  
  
“There is an annoying little rodent who can travel up and down Yggdrasil without encountering anything arduous. I’m certain he is to blame for speaking with the other realms, or at the very least Midgard. I can think of no other way, as this realm as a whole lacks a sensitivity to the impending calamity…until it happens. In a way he is causing the war itself to coincide with whatever cosmological cataclysm may be looming over the horizon.”  
  
“A rodent?” She raised an eyebrow. “…if I find him I’m gonna tell Fenrir to eat him.”

* * *

 **Avenger’s Tower**  
  
  
“Bruce is hiding in the makeshift testing site we set up in the training room. Needed all the space to show Dani what her new toy can do. It took forever to perfect but you can’t rush genius. She’s gonna love it. I don’t know why he’s insisting on being a recluse right now. I told him if anyone should be bothered by anyone’s presence it should be you, not him. He’s not the one who got smashed into my kitchen floor. When did Dani say she’d head over?”  
  
“Within the hour. It’s strangely quiet here,” Loki noted. Laughing Tony replied, “That’s because Dani moved out, remember? Clint and Natasha are off doing whatever it is they do during a normal nine-to-five workday and Steve is still in bed. Even super soldiers can come down with a cold. But they can’t get drunk. Bizarre.” He shook his head. “I don’t actually have any blackmail on Dani to share, by the way. None that Steve would let me share that is. It’s a shame really because there are so many embarrassing baby pictures just sitting there collecting dust when they could be put to better use…But this does give me the chance to interrogate you without Dani threatening to flip a table over. Christ, that temper sometimes. You have fun being stuck with that. You may have seen it but until you’ve been on the receiving end, you don’t know fear.”  
  
“Is it really that bad?” he asked dubiously. Tony feigned a pitying sigh. “Oh you poor thing. I almost feel sorry for you, but you’re the one who just **had** to go out of his way to be with her. So what happens if this engagement really is a sham?”  
  
“I leave that to Danielle,” he said simply. “As I told her when she asked me that very question I refuse to exert any influence on her decisions.”  
  
“Good answer. And good luck trying if something possessed you into thinking the opposite would be a good idea.”  
  
“Should I even dare my sanity would immediately be called into question.”  
  
“I called hers into question about eight years ago.”  
  
“As did I,” Loki replied, fondly reflecting upon their first few encounters which somehow served as the prelude to, of all things, an engagement (by Odin’s command no less).  
  
“Seriously though, who were you two trying to kid?” the inventor grinned folding one leg over the other, finding himself oddly amused by how the situation started. “If we weren’t all so busy getting over the shock and having a collective panic attack, we would’ve called your bullshit right off the bat.”  
  
“Who? Each other perhaps. More likely ourselves. I don’t know. She was a child. Even if I wasn’t denying anything what could I have done? The same was true for her. We knew that. We hated it, but we knew it.”  
  
Tony pressed his tongue against his teeth and paused before asking his next question. “Are you in love with my daughter?” _I thought I would’ve been doing this when she started high school. Nope. She just had to get engaged first. Overachiever._ Without a heartbeat’s hesitation Loki replied, “I am.”  
  
“Good. That’s all I needed to know.” He leaned forward in his seat and rubbed his palms together, expression very serious. “I hope you’re aware of the fact that I’m entrusting you with something extremely important, invaluable, and irreplaceable. And not just Dani herself but Dani’s well being, her safety, and her happiness. That’s your responsibility now. She’s your responsibility now. Unlike the Earth you finally got what you were fighting us over, albeit implicitly and partially in secret this time. No getting thrown out the window for me. Take that for granted and I will personally see to it that you’re hung by your intestines.”  
  
“All of Asgard would see me burn should I ever hurt Danielle considering how much they’ve taken to her. It’s funny really, after they all saw her tell their leader in the nicest way possible to ‘fuck off’ as she tore him and our entire judiciary process to pieces. She would have made you very proud. But I think she would claim the opportunity herself before you even had your armor half-way on.”  
  
After reluctantly leaving Danielle by herself to relax Tony had the chance to try and put some of his parental concerns to rest. It was still a strange thought, trusting Loki with his one and only child, but he knew there was no going back after all things said and done and though he had difficulty admitting it he was rather comfortable with the arrangement. Even if the engagement was forced upon the both of them it was with someone Danielle had a longstanding history with, but more importantly someone she wanted to be with who had proven it reciprocated in abundance. The two were in the common room of the tower, with Tony running on a strict diet of caffeine and more caffeine, having woken up at a time that would put Steve to shame were he not sick. Despite what he told his daughter he had been up all night perfecting the latest model of DIGITAL and came to bed for a short while only because of his ill husband; after getting a few hours under his belt woke up again to move his equipment from the lab to the training room. With some help from Bruce, Dum-E, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents before they left a makeshift testing site had been setup.  
  
He was quite surprised Loki had actually come on his own but was glad he would have the chance to ask those burning questions and give his fatherly ultimatums without Danielle around to roll her eyes or groan in frustration at him. Even if it weren’t Loki this mono e mono talk was parental protocol. He knew Loki would be able to take care of Danielle based on the sole fact that she herself believed it; he trusted her judgment, even if it had gotten her into some sticky situations before, because in the end it never failed her. It was obvious that Loki cared deeply for her as well and the fact that he had actually come to the tower himself said a great deal about his sincerity as far as Tony was concerned. The engagement may have been forced but the bond itself between the two was very real and up until now Tony had only seen Danielle’s half of the equation. It was both refreshing and a relief to see Loki in a similar light. He could comfortably say that the past was behind them; all that mattered now was the present and Danielle’s future.  
  
“There is one more thing I’m obligated to ask considering the ramifications of this whole mess. The engagement is forced to get Dani up there, but there does still exist the possibility a wedding could happen. And if it does she’ll be…a queen someday.” _The infamous test tube baby, DIGITAL, CEO of Stark Industries, and now Queen of Asgard. I wonder what that would make me. Yeah, Steve and I did a damn good job._ “If that happens there’ll be an expectation on her to produce an heir, won’t there?”  
  
“Yes. None of my children would be able to inherit the throne after me. The only ones who would constitute as eligible are deceased. And I’m certain Sigyn was behind that as well. Her own sons…” Loki shook his head, masterfully maintaining his collected demeanor. Tony blinked in surprise. “I thought you only had three? The wolf and the Goddess who brought Dani back to life? And the serpent Dani found when she was in Iceland, studying abroad. Oh shit, she’ll be a stepmother,” he realized.  
  
“To six.”  
  
“Sigyn had six kids?” he gasped. “I thought you hated her.”  
  
“I did, and I no doubt always will for all she has done to my sons, Danielle, and myself. In that order. Only two were her children. I was only with her once and Vali and Narfi were the result of that tryst. Arguably the only good thing to come of that nightmarish union. No, I take that back. The other good thing to come of that union was having the privilege of watching Danielle doing away with her.”  
  
“And the rest of your kids? A little intrusive, I know, but…I wasn’t expecting to be a ‘grandfather’ so soon.”  
  
“Nor was Danielle expecting to be a stepmother, but she did seem rather excited by the prospect. The three you mentioned were…from an illicit affair.”  
  
“You cheated on Sigyn? Well I give you credit for being upfront about it. If you told me I’m sure Dani knows.” Loki nodded. “Of course. I was afraid it would diminish her trust in me, understandably, but I was rather surprised when she said my honesty about it did just the opposite.  Pleasantly surprised, that is.”  
  
“Sorry to hear about your boys.” Loki sighed. “They are in Hel’s care. I can at the very least take solace in knowing they are with their older sister. Granted I haven’t seen her in hundreds of years, but Danielle told me a little about the person Hel has grown up to be.” He fought a smile. “I trust the twins are in good care despite where they are.”  
  
“And the sixth?” The God winced visibly. “That is a…complicated story.”  
  
“Two from Sigyn, three from the mistress…Who’s the mother?” He exhaled deeply. “If you really want to know consult a Midgardian record of the mythos. It’s one of the few stories that’s accurate.”  
  
“That touchy, huh?”  
  
“You have **no** idea.”  
  
Tony leaned back in his chair. “Is Odin gonna demand Dani have kids?” Loki scoffed and folded his arms over his chest. “I certainly hope not. For his sake. I think we both know how she would react to such an expectation.”  
  
“Screw table flipping. She’d smack him over the head with it.”  
  
“And if he has the gall to even suggest it I would encourage her to do just that, and then some.”  
  
“You’re really protective of her,” the human noted. “She’s very, _very_ quick to jump to your defense but I honestly had no idea it was so…intensely mutual.”  
  
“She can deny it to her heart’s content but even Danielle, fiercely independent as she can be, needs to rely on others at times. We all do.”  
  
“You know if you have kids they’ll be little hellions. That’s not a stab at either of you, that’s…She was a menace as a baby.” Loki chuckled. “She made mention of that this morning. And this ‘second Christmas’ I keep hearing so much about has piqued my interest.” Tony broke into a broad grin. “J.A.R.V.I.S., do me a favor and get some more coffee going. The fatigue is setting in.”  
  
“Right away, sir,” the AI responded and the coffee maker turned itself on. “How’s Steve doing right now?”  
  
“His fever has reduced since last night from 100.3 degrees Fahrenheit to 99.4, but his cough has yet to taper.” Tony rose and grabbed his coffee. “Chest colds are vicious…Good thing he doesn’t have asthma anymore.” He looked at Loki and pointed to the coffee maker and the God shook his head. Tony leaned against the counter and blew on his coffee to help it cool. “Is the humidifier still functioning properly?”  
  
“Yes sir.”  
  
“Grand. So the reason I brought up kids was partly due to Odin’s demands, but mostly because of the second Christmas you keep hearing about. I have no idea how Bruce managed to keep temper under control when this happened. This is when she developed her yelling habit, and this second Christmas is what gave birth to the pout. Partially your fault, for the record,” he added, motioning to him with his cup. Loki raised an eyebrow. “Really? My doing? How so?”  
  
He took a generous gulp and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Here’s the context. Clint is allergic to dogs and Dani really wanted a dog when she was younger. He decided to get her a toy dog for Christmas because it’s the closest she’d ever get to having one. He also thought it would be a good idea to show her just how amazing her family is by showing her footage the New York attack. Around Christmastime that year I had a little tangle with a terrorist who called himself the Mandarin and got smacked around a lot, and Clint wanted to reassure her that I wasn’t gonna die. Apparently that was the only way he could think of doing so. At first Steve- I mean we weren’t too thrilled but she didn’t see anything violent and most of it was just sound bytes since the recording devices were damaged when your posse crashed the party on the Helicarrier. Now here’s the strange part. The dog has black fur and green eyes. And she decided to name it Loki because she knew that would annoy us all to no end. Why’s that strange? She didn’t know what you looked like and believed that you were actually a reindeer until she was six. J.A.R.V.I.S., be a doll and bring up ‘Dani’s Second Christmas, Rampage 1- Natasha’s Nighttime Nuisance’.”  _The dog, her first word was Asgard, and then helping Loki get his act together...Maybe she's right about no such thing as coincidence.  Never thought Dani's love life would turn out to be like some sort of Sailor Moon nonsense.  I always thought it would be more along the lines of Basic Instinct or Fatal Attraction._  
  
Sounding slightly amused the AI replied, “With pleasure.” A screen materialized before them and the footage of Danielle’s one-year-old self began to play. Natasha was with the little girl in her room, having extreme difficulty getting her to sleep. She was standing up in her crib, clutching her toy dog protectively as if it were an extension of her physical being.  She stared at Natasha with a fierce glare which strongly resembled Steve's 'serious face' he reserved for his super hero alter ego's enemies.  
  
“I don’t wanna go to sleep! I don’t wanna go to sleep!” a one-year-old Danielle yelled in Natasha’s face, stomping her feet. “Dani, it’s late, it’s very late, you should’ve been in bed two hours ago,” she countered through grit teeth, hands on her hips as the little girl firmly clamped her hand on the edge of her crib.  It was lined with tiny vice-grip marks her yet to be honed super strength bestowed upon her. “NO!” she protested. “I DON’T WANNA! I WANNA STAY UP! I WANNA STAY UP AND PLAY! YOU CAN’T MAKE ME!”  
  
“You wanna bet young lady?” the red-head, clearly losing her patience, challenged. Danielle wrinkled her nose and inhaled deeply. “SHUT UP!” She proceeded to smack Natasha repeatedly over the head with the dog. Natasha groaned loudly, trying to shield the hits with her hands. “DANIELLE OLIVIA-!”  
  
“I HATE YOU! YOU’RE MEAN! I’M NOT TIRED! I’LL SLEEP WHEN I’M TIRED! THIS IS MY BARGAIN YOU MEWLING QUIM!” Natasha stopped fighting her, looking almost oblivious to the fact that she was still being hit with the dog. “What did you just say?!” she exclaimed in surprise and took a step back. Looking in the direction of her doorway she shouted, “God damn it Clint! Why did you show her that?!”  
  
The footage stopped and Loki struggled to contain his laughter, pressing a fist to his lips. “Told ya so,” Tony sang. “Ready for more? Play ‘Rampage 2- Steve’s Screaming Surprise’.”  
  
Steve was in the common room stretching, preparing to go out for his early morning run. Not far off was the sound of a door slamming open, followed by the thundering of little footsteps. He stood up and looked over his shoulder, surprised blue eyes greeted by little Danielle holding her dog and charging at him. She threw it at him and screamed, “KNEEL!” as it hit his face, her little fists balled at her sides and face flush with rage.  
  
“Danielle, what are you doing up right now?” he scolded as she grabbed the dog off the ground. He picked her up, sack of potatoes style, and carried her back to her room. “You should still be asleep at this time.”  
  
“SOLDIER, YOU’RE OUT OF TIME!” she yelled and began to smack him on the back with her toy. “Kneel, kneel, kneel, kneel, kneel, kneel!”  
  
“Danielle Olivia, voice down, right now!” he ordered sternly as they reached her room. He put her in her crib but she refused to lay down. Instead she looked up at him as she hugged the dog, blinked a few times, and then screamed in his face.  
  
Tony pointed towards the projection with a finger. “I love my daughter more than words can say but there’s no way in hell anything she pops out won’t be like that.” Loki was choking on his laughter, chest trembling as he fought it. “And it only gets better. Time for ‘Rampage 3- Clint’s Crazy Cretan. Roll it J.A.R.V.I.S.!”  He twirled a hand around to urge the AI along.  
  
Clint was lazily sprawled on his stomach on the couch channel surfing when Danielle bolted into the room and jumped up on the table in front of him. Holding the dog high above her head she declared, “I am Loki of Hasbro, and I am thoroughbred with glorious fur paws!” She threw the dog at Clint.  
  
“God damn it Dani, knock it off!” he yelled.  
  
“You were made to be ruled!” she cried before jumping off the table and onto the couch, landing on Clint’s back, leaving him with no time to react. She grabbed her dog and started whacking him on the back of the head with it.  
  
“Danielle, get off me right now!” He was essentially trapped beneath her; how does one fight back against a one-year-old?  
  
“ANTS DON’T FIGHT BOOTS!” she shrieked. “ACCEPT THAT AND YOU’LL KNOW PEACE!”  
  
“I never should’ve gotten that –OW!- dog…”  
  
“Freedom is a lie! Freedom is a lie!”  
  
Somewhere in the background Steve yelled, “What did she just say?” Such language would not be tolerated under Captain America’s roof.  
  
Loki had both hands clamped over his mouth now and Tony grinned as he finished his coffee. “The best is still yet to come. Ready for ‘Rampage 4- Tony’s Terrifying Toddler’?” He nodded and the footage started up.  
  
Tony, still coming out of a caffeine crash was exiting his lab. Danielle jumped out from around the hallway and chased after him, but his fatigued stupor left him completely unfazed by the antics of the little girl following behind him. Smacking him on the back with her dog she yelled, “Appeal to my humanity! I have an army! I have nothing to fear! I’ll have that drink now!”  
  
“Munchkin, the last thing you need right now is alcohol,” he muttered exhausted. “Then again it might put you to sleep. Now knock it off or you’re grounded. Again.”  
  
“NO!” she screamed.  
  
“I’m gonna take the dog away,” he threatened and she gasped, clutching it protectively as if he uttered words of absolute blasphemy. “NO!” she screamed again in defiance.  
  
“Don’t make me get your father.”  
  
“HOW WILL HE HAVE TIME FOR ME IF HE’S FIGHTING YOU?!”  
  
“That’s great Dani. That’s really great. Remind me to kill Clint, okay?” She nodded and smiled brightly, then started stomping her little feet and shrieking loudly. Tony put his hands over his ears. “I have a banshee for a daughter. God I hope you outgrow this soon. Alright, that’s it, I’m taking the dog!” She sprinted away, holding it above her head as she yelled, “You should have left your armor on for that!” Tony dropped his face into his palms and shook his head. “Steve just had to have a child…He just had to…”  
  
Loki was in a great deal of pain from trying to suppress his laughter. He never wanted Danielle to see the destruction and mayhem he had caused not long before she was born, but there was no denying that it was highly amusing to see her younger self running about tormenting her family while quoting him.  
  
“I think you’re gonna appreciate the next one most of all.”  
  
“And why’s that?” he asked through punctuated breaths. “Just watch. ‘Rampage 5- Thorn in Thor’s Side’, for your viewing pleasure. It’s short but…You’ll see.”  
  
Danielle burst into Thor’s bedroom in the early morning hours (everyone had to cope with the unfortunate fact that she learned how to break free from the confinements of her crib) and began jumping on his bed, attacking him with the dog each time her little feet hit the bed. “PUNY GOD! PUNY GOD! PUNY GOD! PUNY GOD! PUNY GOD!” she screamed. But Thor was a heavy sleeper and didn’t stir despite the ruckus she was causing, even when she started kicking him in the back.  
  
“Wake up, wake up, wake up!” she demanded and continued her assault via stuffed animal. “YOU’RE BORING!” she screeched in his ear. “DON’T IGNORE ME! I’M A GOD YOU DULL CREATURE!”  
  
“And this is my personal favorite,” Tony said with slight sarcasm. “‘Rampage 6- Dani’s Worst Idea Ever’, if you please.”  
  
Bruce was walking down a hallway, holding a dissertation he was reviewing for a local university student he was helping in his spare time. Danielle was charging behind him, opening her mouth to scream, dog held high and ready to strike. Somewhere in the background Tony exclaimed, “Shit!” and ran past him to grab her before she could attack and accidentally trigger a most unwanted transformation. “DANI SMASH! DANI SMASH! DANI SMASH!” she screamed as she tried to squirm out of Tony’s grasp, hitting him on the back with the dog. Bruce stopped and looked over his shoulder. “I think we should burn that thing,” he advised calmly as he turned a page. Tony nodded in agreement as Danielle did her best Hulk-inspired roar and started kicking and punching at the walls. “What is **wrong** with you? For the love of- Danielle Olivia, stop it right now!”  _We just went through a tub of spackle last week!_  
  
“YOU ARE ALL BENEATH ME!” she shouted.  
  
The footage ended and the screen vanished. “And guess what came next? After we did finally take it away from her she pouted. And it wasn’t just any pout, it was an epic pout. **The** epic pout. You started corrupting my little girl when she still was a little girl. So if you ever find yourself having one of those ‘What was I thinking?’ moments when she’s having a fit, just remember that you technically started it all. No one to blame but yourse-…Morning Dani!” A half-amused, half-asleep Danielle walked into the room, hands in her pockets. “Morning,” she greeted in a sarcastically sweet voice as she sat on the arm of the couch next to Loki.  
  
“Are you feeling any better?” he asked quietly, looking up at her. She smiled softly and nodded. “Yeah. Much.”  
  
“Don’t tell me you got sick too.” As Tony made his daughter a cup he grumbled, “Thanks for the warning J.A.R.V.I.S.”  
  
“You were quite adamant on watching the footage. I would’ve had to stop it to inform you she was here.”  
  
“Thoughtful.”  
  
“I do my best, sir.” Danielle shook her head. “No, was just really groggy this morning,” she lied. “You said ‘too’. Who got sick?”  
  
“Your father has a chest cold.”  
  
 _Oh for the love of Tennessee Williams, I have to tell him about HYDRA when he’s sick?! Fuck you too, universe._ “Ya gotta be kidding me. How is it that he can’t get drunk but he can still get sick?” Tony shrugged as she brought her a mug to her lips. “No clue. So what’s with the ‘I can’t decide if I should scream at you or not’ look?” he asked as he sat down across from them. He realized this was the first time he had seen them together since they came to break the news and there was something about the sight that just seemed right, complete. She raised an eyebrow and took a sip. “I could hear little me screaming from all the way downstairs at the front door. Was the footage from my second Christmas all that you showed?”  
  
“Your father forbade me from breaking out the baby pictures. The embarrassing ones anyway.”  
  
“Good.” She cast a suspicious glance at Loki. “Your face is so red right now. Was it really **that** funny?”  
  
“Just a little,” he replied as innocently as possible, holding up his thumb and index finger and spacing them out about a centimeter. “Baby me screaming ‘puny God’ at Thor is only a _little_ funny?”  
  
“That wasn’t humorous at all, that was a testament to your insight. Even as a child you were incredibly perceptive.” She rolled her eyes and poorly fought a grin as she took a sip of the coffee, then turned to her dad. “So, 17. What’s the super fun new feature it has?” Tony shook his head. “Not spoiling it. Test runs first. Gotta make sure it fits…and flies…and you can breathe in it. Then we can play with the explosives.” Her eyes grew wide. “Did you say ‘explosives’?!” she gasped loudly and squealed. “What are we waiting for?! I wanna see this suit! Now, now, now!” Tony looked at Loki and nodded towards Danielle. “See that? Your fault.”

* * *

 **Training Room/Makeshift Testing Area**  
  
  
The ropes of the ring had been taken down and DIGITAL Model 17 stood in the center of it like a shopping mall mannequin on display. With the eagerness of a child Danielle jumped up onto the ring and circled the suit, inspecting every inch of it. The design was similar her previous models except the unibeam was no longer present and she noticed the lining of the space between the thumb and index finger on both hands was translucent, much like the panels the unibeams and repulsor rays shot out of.  
  
“Why’d you take away my unibeam?” she whined loudly as she traced along the outside of the mechanical palm. With a small grin Bruce replied, “It was replaced with something a lot more fun, trust me.”  
  
“Which, I would like to add, is not the brilliant new feature Bruce designed and added to it. What you’re looking at is just icing on the cake. Power levels are stable. Ready to attach?”  
  
“Always.” As she jumped off the ring Tony leaned towards Loki. “Have you ever seen her use DIGITAL before?” he asked.  
  
“Only once. She almost killed Sigyn with it.”  
  
“That’s my girl. Did she ever tell you what it stands for?”  
  
“I wasn’t aware that it was an acronym.”  
  
“Don’t think I can’t hear you over there, dad!” The mechanical arms detached from the complete suit and attached to Danielle’s body. Clicking his tongue disapprovingly he replied, “Dani, there shouldn’t be secrets between you and your significant other. That can cause serious relationship problems.”  
  
“You’re a jackass!” she yelled over the clicks and clacks of the chest and back plate interlocking.  
  
“Love you too sweetie. Now stay focused or you might get pinched on the leg again.”  
  
“So that’s where the scar on her inner thigh came from.”  
  
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Bruce muttered as he monitored the basic necessary functions while she continued attaching to her new suit. Tony continued. “DIGITAL is a name I came up with myself. Keep in mind the situation at the time. Again, context. Stands for ‘Dani is gonna immediately and totally annihilate Loki’. Clever huh?”  
  
“Very cute,” he replied sarcastically.  
  
“You there J.A.R.V.I.S.?” she muttered as she switched off the main line, the inner monitor lighting up before her. “Always, Danielle. How does it feel?”  
  
“Fan-tas-tic,” she said, enunciating each syllable dramatically before switching back. “Fits perfectly dad,” she said giving a thumbs up.  
  
“Great. Take ‘er into the air.” DIGITAL nodded and with a light jump she was hovering halfway towards the ceiling. “Thrusters are doing just fine, that’s what I like to see…Bruce, hit the switch on those practice targets for her. Alright Dani, listen up. The majority of your firepower is in your hands now. Test the repulsors quickly. Beautiful. And the nano-missiles in the shoulders. Gorgeous, that’s exactly what I wanted to see. OK, now look at the space between the thumb and forefinger. See the clear line running along it? Put your forefingers and thumbs together so you’re making a triangle shape, and let your cyberpathic biology do the rest.”  
  
“Okee dokee.” She did as Tony instructed and the lines running along the L shape each hand made lit up. She felt a familiar surge of strength rush forth from her skeletal structure and pump into the hands. The space between both began to glow, making a triangular light. “Dude,” she breathed. “Does this do what I think does?”  
  
“Aim at one of the larger targets and find out,” Bruce advised. DIGITAL maintained the glowing triangle and aimed at one of the larger practice targets assembled. Requiring no more energy than that exerted for a wink, a triangular beam shot from between her hands and expanded outward in a pyramidal fashion. She squealed loudly. “I love it! BOW BEFORE MY TRIANGLES OF DOOM!” she cried as she blew up another target. Tony snickered and shook his head. “We’re gonna have to come up with a way for her to keep that thing energized when she’s…elsewhere. Ready for the best part?”  
  
“Hellz yeah I am!”  
  
“Then get down here and take the suit off.”  
  
DIGITAL descended and she took off her helmet. “Take it off? Really? You came up with something for me to do when not wearing it courtesy of the cyberpathology?” She tossed the helmet onto the ring mat and piece-by-piece the suit collapsed around her, then rebuilt and flew back up onto the mat. It put the helmet back on and stood still. Tony nodded. “Actually it was Bruce, remember? Now you might wanna come over here by us or you could end up in need of an arc reactor too.”  
  
“What’s gonna put shrapnel near my heart?” She hopped over the makeshift work table and Tony motioned for J.A.R.V.I.S. to erect a force-field barrier. “Wait…You didn’t…Did you…?” She looked at Bruce who just grinned and shrugged. “Maybe. You’re formidable without the suit and with it, so I thought it only made sense to make it more useful when you’re not wearing it. You can control them and can make them move around, shoot, disassemble, and reassemble like you did just now. But I thought you needed something more practical than that, since it’s kind of hard to make it fight by itself while you’re also fighting. I was partially inspired by the Trojan Horse.”  
  
“Also responsible for a phenomenal condom brand,” Tony added matter-of-factly. Danielle backhanded him on the chest, careful not to hit too close to the arc reactor or she might accidentally crack it. “Except instead of being filled with an army of Trojan warriors,” Bruce continued, “the suit itself is the surprise attack. No one would suspect an unmanned suit of being able to function, and since you can already make them move and attack I decided we should go all out. DIGITAL 17 also acts as a bomb.”  
  
“It…self-destructs?” she breathed heavily, eyes and grin widening. “And it reassembles right after it goes boom, yes?” He nodded. “It was tough to put together and if the reassembly feature doesn’t work completely we’ll need you to keep exploding and putting it back together while we play around with the pieces until we find the source of the problem. But since you can piece them together yourself and it comes apart in an explosion the same way it does when you take it off, like you did just now, there shouldn’t be any need for repair unless it becomes too damaged to properly reconstruct itself.”  
  
“And this barrier won’t interfere with my connection to it?” Danielle reached out and touched the obscure dome and then looked at her dad. “It shouldn’t,” Tony replied. “It’s just meant to keep the pieces from smacking any of us. Anything out there is fair game though.”  
  
“…J.A.R.V.I.S., can you put the doors in here on secure lockdown?” she requested. “Just in case my father feels well enough to come watch the big show.”  
  
“Right away.”  
  
“Thanks. Alright, time to blow shit up!” As Loki watched her jump up and down excitedly, clapping her hands and smiling he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt knowing that he would be taking her away from all of that.

* * *

 **Frost Enterprises, 2:30 PM**  
  
  
Upon learning that her father was sick Danielle didn’t have the heart to tell him about HYDRA just yet. She wanted to but she figured it could wait until after her trip to Frost Enterprises. That way she would know all there was for her to know on Earth and would be able to give him a full report, as well as give S.H.I.E.L.D. an update. When she was done testing out her new suit, whose self-destruct/reconstruct feature worked perfectly for all ten out of ten tests, she sent Natasha a quick text as she left her childhood home. Minutes after Bruce was called down to S.H.I.E.L.D. Danielle and Loki were supposed to have been there as well, assuming she had already informed her parents, to make sure every detail was relayed with absolute accuracy but she called Coulson and explained her absence. After a quick change of plans Bruce decided to stay and help Dr. Jane Foster set up her laboratory while her assistant Darcy Lewis spent most of the time playfully badgering Coulson about whatever happened to her iPod and if his hairline had receded further or if she were imagining things.  
  
All the while Natasha had her eyes and ears on Danielle and “Pepper”, both bugged so they would have an audio and visual record of what they saw and might not be allowed to see. The God in disguise pretended to take notes as any good assistant would while Danielle gave Ruby half her attention. Her own assistant, a very quiet Illyana Rasputin accompanied them as well. Ruby took them down a floor to show off her crew of scientists working to ‘alter genetics in the interest of physical and mental health’. Even an untrained eye and ear could tell she wasn’t entirely lying but she was hiding the ultimate objective of her work.  
  
The floor was separated into four quadrants, each meant for a specific task and connected by walkways. Below was darkness and Ruby explained that they were about to begin expanding the lower levels to create a more appropriate laboratory facility. At the current, empty space was beneath them. Danielle nodded slowly and offered the occasional “Mm hm”, “Fascinating”, “A brilliant idea”, and the like to give the impression that she was both interested and curious about what she was being shown. Her ears turned Ruby’s words into a distant muffle the second she detected hints of sound beneath them. She cast a glance over her shoulder at “Pepper” and then looked down at the darkness beneath them.  
  
 _Clank!_  
  
“Clumsy me…I dropped my pen down there.” The “assistant” pulled another out of her side pocket. “Good thing I always come prepared.”  
  
 _Empty space, huh?_ Danielle thought to herself. _That made a sound rather quickly. Hardly a fall. And it sounded like it hit something metallic_. She peered over the edge and narrowed her eyes. She could barely make out a series of small raised circular shapes which she, after all her time building with her dad, immediately recognized as screws. There was some sort of metal cover beneath them hiding another lower level. After the tour Ruby turned to Danielle. “Well resident expert, what do you think?” she asked hopefully. She offered a false smile. “It’s impressive. Seems like Frost Enterprises is going to make quite the name for itself.” “Pepper” fought a grin when she caught Danielle’s thinly veiled implication that the company was officially on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s watch list. “And I would love to make contributions to your projects.”  
  
 _Now you’re just being cruel_ , the shapeshifter thought to himself, laughing on the inside so as not to give away his true feelings on the matter. Ruby’s eyes lit up. “Really? You would? That’s wonderful to hear. I think that perhaps, through this project, we might be able to put the rivalry behind us and work together to build something great. Something to benefit all mankind.”  
  
“Far be it from me to shy away from such an altruistic endeavor. You’ve made it quite clear that your work has great potential to…better the human race as whole.”  
  
 _A cute double entendre. You’re a little too good at this Danielle. And this woman brings idiocy to a new level._ The pseudo-Pepper checked her watch. “Ms. Rogers-Stark, it’s almost four. You still have two important meetings to attend today.” She clapped her hands together and replied, “I do, yes, I do.” Turning to Ruby she said sweetly, “We’ll be in touch.”  
  
“Wonderful.” After Danielle and “Pepper” left Ruby tapped an earpiece she had hidden beneath her candy apple red hair. “Mother, we have her interest,” she whispered excitedly.  
  
“You’ve given me reason to be proud of you for once, Ruby. P.A.G.E. is ready for testing. Bring the specimen down to the lab, sweetie.” She tapped it again to turn it off and looked at Illyana. “My mother wants to show you our latest development. Come on, let’s go downstairs.” She ushered her towards the hidden doorway and entered the keycode to open the panel leading to the lower level.

* * *

 **Avenger’s Tower** , **5:21 PM**  
  
  
After returning the car to Stark Industries, Loki and Danielle teleported to S.H.I.E.L.D. to make mention of everything she had kept from them and her newfound suspicions. Natasha would be infiltrating later that night to see exactly what was beneath that metallic cover with a little assistance from the flashlight and laser disguised as a pen Loki left down there for her. Bruce didn’t take the news well as anticipated and went to Dr. Foster’s lab to distract himself, though he was more distracted by her bubbly and quirky assistant whose one-liners and playful remarks had an oddly soothing effect on him, appealing to his more light-hearted side.  
  
Loki took Danielle to her family’s home and wished her luck before returning to her home, promising an order of beef lo mein would be waiting for her. After he left she sighed deeply and entered. “Hey J.A.R.V.I.S.,” she greeted quietly, unzipping her autumn jacket. “Where are my parents?”  
  
“Your dad is currently in the lab and your father is in the kitchen making dinner for himself. He’s feeling well-enough to move around.” She smiled softly as she kicked off her shoes. “Good to hear. Let them know I’m here, would ya? Tell them to meet me in the common area. We need to talk, and no, it’s not about Loki. It’s…Avengers stuff.”  
  
The AI relayed the messaged as she trudged to the elevator and arrived in the common area. Steve, who was coughing up a storm, had already received the message and was waiting for her on the couch. Tony was on his way up from the lab.  
  
“Avengers stuff, huh?” the blond asked in a raspy voice. She sat across from him and leaned back in the couch, folding one leg over the other. “Yeah. It’s…complicated. Kinda. Maybe. I dunno. And it’s heavy duty.” _Inadvertent pun…Call of duty, super soldier. Fuck, now’s not the time to try and amuse myself._  
  
“Where’s the fire?” Tony joked as the metallic doors opened, grease smudges covering his right cheek. “Uh, dad, you got a little something on your face…”  
  
“I know. This took precedence.” He sat next to Steve who shook his head. “You shouldn’t sit so close. I don’t want to get you sick.”  
  
“You probably aren’t contagious anymore, don’t worry about it. How’re you feeling?”  
  
“Better. I can talk now. Sort of.” He took a few spoonfuls of the soup he made. “What’s the update? Shouldn’t everyone be here for this?”  
  
“They already know father,” she admitted. “I wanted to tell you guys last because I didn’t know how you’d react, and I wanted them to be ready. And to get Uncle Bruce’s temper out of the way, Aunt Natasha in the field to do her spy shit, and Uncle Clint to know so it wouldn’t catch him off guard with the Bobbi drama.”  
  
Tony raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously and pulled the decorative blanket off the couch and wrapped it around Steve who smiled in appreciation. “How it would affect us?” She gulped and looked down at the ground, foot bouncing restlessly.  
  
“Loki and I are convinced the reason Odin wants to come to Asgard is become of this thing called Ragnarok, which is the Norse version of the end of the world. The original prophecy was torn apart courtesy of yours truly helping Loki change and because of what I did, because I altered the future essentially, I now have this weird bond with the cube. And it’s been giving me nightmares, showing me how the upcoming war between realms could play out.” Steve narrowed his eyes and put the soup down. “Upcoming war?”  
  
“Just let me finish. I refused to let anyone else tell you guys because you’re my parents and I love you. I didn’t want you to hear it from anyone else when I myself already knew and confirmed it. I discovered most of it, actually, accidentally. It’s gonna affect Midgard, I mean Earth. And at the forefront is, more likely than not, Frost Enterprises. Natasha has been picking up weird messages which make mention of…Arnim Zola and Dr. Erskine.” What little color Steve regained drained from his face. “The company, they’re screwing around with some sort of genetic engineering for the ‘good of mankind’. Which sounds a lot like…creating the perfect race…”  
  
Tony folded his arms over his chest. “Danielle Olivia, out with it. Now,” he commanded briskly. She squeezed her eyes tightly and then looked up at them. “There’s this radical religious group known as Wotanists, who derive their beliefs from the Old Norse religion. And they would be responsible for any creation of a perfect race because they’re Neo Nazis. I think Frost Enterprises is comprised of them, hence the genetic engineering. And also comprised of…It’s like a headquarters for…another group.” She clenched fists tightly in her pockets. “And we found imposter agents who weaved their way into S.H.I.E.L.D. They came from…” She exhaled deeply. “HYDRA.”  
  
Looking ready to faint, the shock sent Steve into a massive coughing fit. He pounded on his chest a few times. “Are you sure?” he demanded, sounding panicky and frantic. “You’re absolutely sure?” Danielle nodded quickly. “Yeah, I’m sure. Loki and I weeded them out, Coulson interrogated, and…they went up north if ya know what I mean. Aunt Natasha is breaking into FE to find the connections we need.”  
  
Bucky falling.  
  
“Oh Christ,” Tony groaned. “The week you’re leaving, HYDRA decides to resurface. That’s fantastic.” Steve wrapped his arms around his chest and gulped heavily.  
  
Peggy’s last words.  
  
“And there was nothing on, on Schmidt, right?” She shook her head. “Not that we saw or heard. But it’s possible he’s dead now father. That was a long time ago and just because he had the same serum injected which slowed your aging process doesn’t mean he’s invincible.”  
  
Crashing into the ice.  
  
Tony looked at his shaking husband. “Ready to call it Captain?” he asked cautiously.  
  
“No Tony, I’m not ‘ready to call it’,” he snapped. Danielle kicked at the table to get their attention and they both jumped. “You two are the last people who need to be arguing with each other right now,” she said firmly. “We’re doing everything we can to find out as much as we can and I’ve been devoting my time to the endeavor. That was the whole point of trying to forge a working relationship with Ruby Summers. As soon as she told me they were working on genetic engineering my immediate thought was eugenics, and no one else-”  
  
“Dani, be quiet,” Steve ordered through heavy breaths as he dropped his face into his palms. “Just be quiet.” She curled her lips inwards and exchanged nervous glances with Tony. ‘Now what?’ she mouthed. ‘I have no idea’ he silently responded before cursing under his breath.  
  
The sound of explosions took over his senses and his vision began to double until it blurred. Steve covered his ears to try and drown out the noise but to no avail. He began to shake uncontrollably from the overwhelming anxiety until everything went black.

* * *

 **Danielle’s House, 7:38 PM**  
  
  
The blonde slammed the front door behind her and turned towards it, pressing her forehead against the wood. She ran a hand down it which quickly clenched into a fist. She was about to punch the door, no doubt creating a massive hole through until she felt a pair of lithe fingers on top of her own.  
  
“Destroying your home isn’t going to help the situation,” Loki said quietly, bringing her arm down to her waist and placing her other over it, then firmly wrapping his arms over them to keep her still. Fists shaking she said through grit teeth, “It’ll make me feel better.”  
  
“What happened?”  
  
Her chest began to tremble. “He started to flashback. It was so bad he left us and ‘mentally teleported’ if you will back to the war and…other stuff he had to go through. He saw and heard everything. Then he started to shake like he was about to have a seizure and he fainted. I knew he would flashback but I thought he was gonna get angry and lose his temper, not lose consciousness. For a split second I thought I killed him.” She hiccupped. “How can I go to Asgard now? How can I just, just leave my family like this? Tell them what’s going on and then disappear?”  
  
“You’re needed elsewhere for reasons beyond your control.”  
  
“I’m needed here for reasons well within my control!” she barked breathing heavily. “And don’t you **dare** tell me to calm down right now or so help I will BREAK YOU IN HALF. That’s the last thing I need to hear right now, and I don’t do well with being told what to do in the first place!”  
  
“I’m not going to tell you to do anything,” he replied calmly, kissing the back of her neck. She tensed up. “Don’t. Not right now. Just…don’t.” The thought of her father reliving the horrors of war reminded her of the deaths she had witnessed and the frustration surrounding her father’s misery was quickly replaced with her own fears. “And it’s happening to me too,” she whispered sounding half-hysterical. “Nothing’s happened yet but I saw it. I fucking saw it. And…Fuck. That’s as articulate as I can get right now. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” She squeezed her eyes tightly, lips trembling. “I’m sorry for snapping. I just…kinda hate everything right now. Fuck everything.” She kicked at the ground. “You can let go of me now. Promise not to beat up the door. Or the rest of the house. Or anything else. Or anyone else.”  
  
“I trust you won’t, but that’s hardly any incentive for me to let you go.”  
  
“Stop trying to make me feel better,” she groaned quietly. “I shouldn’tve left, I should-”  
  
“Danielle, there’s nothing you can do. I know you don’t want to hear that but it’s true.” She swallowed hard. “Clearly you’ve forgotten who you’re talking to.” _Shit…The spirit of the Tesseract was right. There is nothing I can do and I’m cracking under the pressure. The pressure that I’m putting on myself_. “I take that back. That’s unrealistic wishful thinking on my part. I can save the world but I’m no miracle worker…” _So who protects Danielle? Pfft, that’s a fucking stupid question. The only person Danielle gave permission to._ “Right now I could really go for some beef lo mein and a Game of Thrones marathon, just like me and my dad used to do when I was younger. Whenever my father wasn’t around that is. He would’ve beat him with that shield of his if he knew his husband was letting their five-year-old daughter watch that show. And a hug. I think I need a hug more than anything else right now.  Got any to spare?”

"Perhaps one or two."

* * *

 **Frost Enterprises, 11:25 PM**  
  
  
Natasha had no difficulty breaking in without leaving a trace and retrieving the fake pen left behind for her. While watching Ruby’s tour she noticed she actively avoided entering one of the quadrants in the research area. After disabling the security cameras, allowing the timer to still run while only showing a stillframe, she searched the area for a possible passageway to the lower level. She located the panel and descended the dark hallway, using the flashlight function on the fake pen at its lowest setting to navigate. She found herself in a hallway lined with a multitude of rooms and other hallways; the floor seemed to extend further outwards than the upper, visible floors of the building. The air was thick with the smell of noxious chemicals and she quickly pulled out her gas mask, which resembled a standard carpentry and construction mask.  
  
Heavily armed guards patrolled the halls and though she had to avoid detection she couldn’t leave any evidence behind that she had broken in, such as an unconscious pair of guards who had been rendered unarmed; doing so the day Danielle came to see her rival company’s newest project would send suspicious glances in her direction, which she had to avoid at all costs. As she explored she stumbled upon what she assumed to be the laboratory. She put on her protective eyewear, a simple pair of contacts which covered her entire eye, and donned a pair of gloves to keep from leaving behind any residue or fingerprints. After picking the complicated series of locks she was in. The room was full of test tubes, most of which were marked with the word ‘fail’. She meandered the room for signs of anything resembling a successfully mixture. At the very end she found one test tube marked ‘ready for test’. She pulled out a syringe and took a negligible sample so no one notice the decrease in volume.  
  
“Time to find out what sort of skullduggery you’re up to,” she whispered to herself as she sealed and pocketed the syringe. She noticed another door which led to a lit up hallway. She heard voices at one end and quickly darted into the room labeled ‘Bureau’, German for ‘office’. On the desk she found papers mentioning something called the Persona Adaptation Gene Enhancement, others simply calling it P.A.G.E. There were also dated photocopies of work signed by Dr. Erskine and his written records of creating the serum Steve had been injected with, and what appeared to be stolen copies someone else had taken notes on. She assumed the old stolen copies to have been in possession of HYDRA at some point. She skimmed through and took pictures to enlarge and read later, then put them back in order. She left without drawing any attention and returned to reactivate the security cameras. After doing so she inserted a master key equivalent of a flash drive and stole copies of all footage starting from Danielle’s tour to now. She was about to leave until she noticed a screen showing the inside of a small room, no doubt on the lower level, with a suspicious looking shape under a white cloth laying on a table. Upon closer inspection of the screen she realized the shape was a human body.


	8. The Cold Shoulder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some say the world will end in fire,  
> Some say in ice.  
> From what I’ve tasted of desire  
> I hold with those who favor fire.  
> But if it had to perish twice,  
> I think I know enough of hate  
> To say that for destruction ice  
> Is also great  
> And would suffice.  
> -Robert Frost, "Fire and Ice"

**Danielle’s House**

“And that’s what happened with the Mandarin guy my dad mentioned.  Arguably my favorite story of his…Probably because I was alive when it happened and played a minor role in it.”  Danielle stretched out on her couch, crossing her legs over Loki’s lap.

“Still convinced you aren’t becoming even the slightest bit arrogant?”  Danielle shook her head and lazily dropped an arm over the arm of the couch.  “Nope.  As in nope I’m not convinced, not that I firmly believe I’m not becoming arrogant.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you’ve been living with me for almost a week now…?  You are a terrible influence on me after all.  In case you forgot.  Just thought I’d remind you.  ‘Cause I’m thoughtful like that.”  She flashed a sweet smile.

“I would be lost without you to remind me of such things,” he replied sarcastically.  Nodding slowly, looking rather satisfied she replied, “You’re finally catching on.”  Danielle yawned softly and shifted her position so her head was resting on his lap.  “It’s so fricken’ early…I should’ve been in bed hours ago.”

“You were the one who insisted on watching every season of _Game of Thrones._   EVERY season.”

“I share a nickname with the most badass character, can ya blame me?  And isn’t it your job to talk me out of stupid ideas anyway?”  She rolled over onto her back, folding her hands on her stomach as she looked up at him.  Looking rather amused he replied, “If I did successfully talk you out of every stupid idea you have, you wouldn’t have any ideas to act upon.”  Her jaw dropped and she sat up, folding her arms over her chest.  “Ya know, if you wanted to be banished to the couch that badly all you had to do was ask,” she retorted obnoxiously.

“You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?” he asked in a faux-pathetic and needy voice, putting a hand on her cheek.  “You know how much I hate being alone…And how I tend to cause trouble on a catastrophic level when left unsupervised.  Isn’t it your job to talk me out of stupid ideas?” he mocked.  She avoided eye contact and said apprehensively, “…I…never said…you’d be alone…I’m just depriving you of the comfortable-ness that is my bed.  That’s all.”

“And depriving yourself, it would seem.”

She grinned.  “It’d be worth it.  Seriously though, I feel ready to just fall over.  It’s sleepy time for Dani.”  She stretched her arms and yawned again.  “Don’t think I won’t do it if need be, by the way.  Playing cute doesn’t work on me,” she added.

“If you join me it would defeat the purpose,” he muttered under his breath.  Shooting him a glare she demanded, “What did you just say?”

“Nothing.  Nothing at all.”

“Oh hey look!  Your liar face is back from vacation!”

* * *

**Danielle’s Dream  
**

After the first few nightmares the intensity of content in her dreams seemed to have tapered, but she still felt an overwhelming sense of dread regardless.  Danielle found herself lounging on what she believed was Odin’s throne, legs hanging off the side as she folded her arms behind her head and waited for the spirit of the Tesseract to come bother her.

“‘Three cast out by bearer’s lies, Must lift veils from the bloodline’s eyes’,” she whispered to herself.  “Why do I feel like that one is a classic case of ‘so easy it’s hard’?”

“Sounds a lot your dad.  That’s a reference to his man whore reputation, in case you couldn’t tell.”  She jumped in shocked, hand over her heart when she heard the spirit’s voice behind her.  She straightened her posture and folded her legs beneath her.  “If you think you’re the first person to make that joke, you’re gonna be sorely disappointed buddy.”  Ignoring her bitter tone the spirit leaned closer and peered into her deep blue eyes.  “You’re right, you know.  This one should be very easy to figure out.  Don’t spend too much time thinking about it.  It will come to you I’m sure.”  It began pacing back and forth in front of her as if waiting for her to decode the riddle.  She repeated it again under her breath.

“The only ‘three cast out’ I can think of are the kids Loki had with Angrboda,” she mused aloud, tapping her fingers on her temple as she contemplated.  The spirit stopped pacing and clapped.  “Very good!  And the rest?”

“Don’t fucking rush me,” she snapped, wishing she could kick the ethereal form and knock it down to the ground.  “As far as I know Odin is the reason they were cast out.  Or rather Hel and Jormungand, and why Fenrir was tied up.  As far as Loki knows that’s what happened too.  ‘Cast out by bearer’s lies’…‘Bearer’…”  Her eyes widened.  “As in bearing children?  Angrboda lied about something to try and kill those two and convinced Odin to tie up Fenrir?”

“Perhaps not lying to Odin…Who was the one that told Loki what happened to his children?  Probably in a panic at that.”

 “…she did.  And he detested Odin for it because he thought Odin was responsible!” she exclaimed.  “Oh shit.  Oh holy shit.  So lifting the veil from the bloodline means that Loki needs to be told the truth.  But what does that have to do with Ragnarok?  What does she have to do with Ragnarok?”

 “I don’t know.  Let’s find out!” it cried enthusiastically.  Suddenly Danielle was standing on the Bifrost, arms out to try and keep her balance.  In the distance she saw an unfamiliar figure, shadowy with no distinguishable features, drop what appeared to be a young child off of the bridge and not long after a writhing serpentine creature.  Her eyes widened.  “The bitch did it,” she muttered under her breath.  “This must be a flashback…But where’s Fenrir?”  In the distance she could hear a familiar howl, a canine’s cry of pain as he was bound to Gioll for the first time.  “The prophecy said Fenrir was supposed to kill Odin, so Odin took Fenrir to keep an eye on him at all times?” she guessed aloud.  “But then why would Angrboda kill her other two kids?  And why would she tell Loki that Odin tried to murder them by casting them out?”  She turned around and made her way to Asgardian soil, but once her feet touched the ground she felt a cold hand on her shoulder.  It burned through her clothing but once her skin was exposed it slowly began to turn blue.  The freezing stomach pains were stirred up again and she swallowed heavily.

“Blood sustains life, but your new blood will spell out your death,” a deep, smoky female voice said behind her.  She looked over her shoulder and saw the being to be faceless, almost blurry, but there was no doubt in her mind that it was Angrboda.  The pain in her stomach intensified and her hands and clothes felt moist and sticky.  She looked down and saw her hands were covered in blood.  The pain was unbearably familiar, the same she felt when she was shot before being kidnapped.  She slowly lifted her blood-soaked shirt and saw a gaping hole in her midsection.  She felt dizzy from the blood loss, knees beginning to tremble.  The freezing hand disappeared, as did the bizarre cold pain now replaced by an excruciating ache which words couldn’t even begin to describe.

Something cool, smooth, and metallic suddenly thrust through the hole and she fell to her knees, coughing little pools of thick red liquid into her hands.  With hazy vision she looked down again and saw the royal scepter Odin possessed during her time in Asgard eight years ago.  “Allow harm to come to this new blood and I will never forgive you”.  After seeing the scepter she had anticipated Odin was the one behind her, the one who stabbed her.  But that voice didn’t belong to Odin.  As she dropped to her hands and knees, spewing puddles of blood onto the pristine grass beneath her, her final thought before blacking out was a reflection that she had never anticipated Loki to be the wielder, the one who killed her.

* * *

**Asgardian Royal Palace**

“Must you return to Midgard?  You’re a warrior, Thor.  You’re needed here,” Sif insisted, her fists balled at her side.  Thor shook his head.  “I must return to Midgard to aid my comrades there.  You and Tyr are more than capable to lead our forces into battle when the time comes.  I might get in the way.  And as soon as I leave Loki and Lady Danielle will return and she will no doubt be an invaluable asset, both as a tactician and on the battlefield.  She may be a mortal but her race doesn’t define nor limit her strength.”  Sif rolled her eyes.  “I’m sorry but I don’t feel entirely comfortable placing so much responsibility in the hands of one person, mortal or not.  And just exactly what kind of contribution could Loki offer?  He’s no warrior.  Potential to be tactical, sure, but-”

“He is also betrothed to her,” Thor reminded firmly.  “His presence will surely alleviate some of the stress induced by the strenuous time ahead of her.  And the fate of Asgard is not entirely in her hands.  If that were so my father would have already brought her here, not created a council consisting of himself, you, Tyr, myself, and my mother to decide what to do until she arrives.”

“It’s the woman, isn’t it?” she asked curtly.  “You’re returning to protect her.  To fight for her.  Whatever happened to ‘For Asgard’, Thor?  Whatever happened to fighting for your home, your family, your people?”

“Midgard is my home now.  And my family is split between here and there.”

“You never answered my question,” she said, visibly losing her patience.  “Is it because of her?”

“Why are you suddenly so concerned about my involvement with her?” he asked exasperated.

“Since it began to interfere with your priorities, that’s when.  It's never been very stable.  I don't see why you even bother,” she snapped.  Thor leaned towards her and pointed in her face.  “She _is_ a priority, Sif.  Perhaps you are the one who has forgotten what’s important, like camaraderie.”  She inhaled deeply and huffed, shoving his hand out of her face before storming off to find their other three companions.  Hardly to her surprise Fandral and Hogun were sparing while Volstagg watched, stuffing himself on what appeared to be a fourth serving of wild boar judging by the pile of bones at the end of the table. “Well aren’t you three a sight for sore eyes,” she teased.  Fandral and Hogun stopped, exchanging nervous looks. Before they could articulate a sentence properly Volstagg asked casually, “What was the argument about?  I couldn’t hear anything other your voices.”  She shook her head.  “It’s nothing of importance.”

“Nothing of importance?” Fandral asked sheathing his rapier.  “Sif, I haven’t seen you make that face since we confronted Loki to demand Thor’s return.”

“You have been disappearing quite often lately.”  Hogun raised an eyebrow.  “As is Thor.  And I could not help but notice Tyr’s presence in the castle recently.  What business would he have here?”

"Business that doesn’t concern you,” she replied, putting a hand on her hip as she tried to maintain her temper.

“The Allfather and Her Majesty seem to have been absent a lot too recently,” Volstagg added absentmindedly.  “The Allfather would only call on son, the God of war, if a great battle was looming over the horizon.  Is it the Vanir?  Perhaps Jotunnheim?”  He sounded almost excited by the prospect of a devastating skirmish.

“I cannot say.”

“Aha!” Fandral exclaimed.  “So you are hiding something.”

“All of which seems to coincide with the return of Lady Danielle and Loki,” Hogun noted calmly.  “Why is the Allfather so insistent she return?  If there is a war to come why plan for a wedding?”

“I already told you, I _can’t_ tell you,” she repeated, a vein in her temple throbbing in irritation.  She pulled out her collapsible dual blade.  “I need some stress relief.  Anyone feel like being humiliated today?”  _Perhaps it would be best if the Allfather informed everyone.  Suspicion has been aroused for quite some time.  As much as everyone seems to hold some level of respect and appreciation for Lady Danielle…a wedding?  At his command?  As soon as their forced separation ended?  I know he wants to cling to hope, to be optimistic that we can come to an armistice with the Vanir but after they heard of the engagement that simply isn’t possible.  Gods forbid Jotunnheim find out, assuming they haven’t already.  Regardless of what we know or don’t know, nothing can inhibit our ability to feel.  We’re all tied to Yggdrasil and we can all feel that it’s in danger.  And no one went out of their way to hide the resurrected Vali and Narfi, or Queen of Niflheim herself.  They plan to reveal all soon.  
_

* * *

**Danielle’s House, 8:42 AM**

Not only was her face wet from crying, but her entire body was coated in a cold sweat.  Danielle was shaking, and kept examining and feeling her stomach to ensure the injury didn’t leave the Tesseract with her.  Even if it was only a nightmare she was afraid to talk to Loki about it because of how it ended, though she desperately wanted to tell him the truth about Angrboda and get his opinion on the cryptic last lines.  But the voice she heard before blacking out wasn’t the Loki she knew and loved, it was the Loki who tried to conquer Midgard and destroy her family in the process.  She knew she was overreacting, being unreasonable, and illogical.  But even the sight of him through her peripheral vision alone made her tremble anxiously.  She had no idea how she would involuntarily react when she would inevitably hear him speak.  She rubbed her eyes to clear her vision and quietly slid out of bed into her Hello Kitty slippers, throwing her on her sweatshirt designed to resemble the Mark 42.

She had left the dry erase board with her notes facing forward now that the sight of them was no longer a trigger, but instead an academic challenge of sorts.  Unfortunately she had no idea what to write or how to write what she saw.  The last thing she wanted was for Loki to learn that Angrboda tried to kill his children from her scribbled notes as opposed to Danielle herself, but she cringed at the thought of him.  She had to keep her left hand up to block her peripheral vision as she wrote down the complete interpretation of the latest piece of the riddle and how it tied into what she had seen or speculated.

If there is one thing dry erase markers can be counted on for, aside from running out of ink at the most inconvenient of times, is making loud squeaking noises.  She tried to get everything down quickly so she could escape to the kitchen and counterproductively attempt to soothe her nerves with the addicting stimulant known as caffeine but the quicker she wrote the louder the sound.  Loud enough to wake a medium to light sleeper, with Loki falling under the former.  She winced when she heard the blankets rustling, reminding her of the sound of hideous dead leaves on a tree in autumn.

“Writing already?” he asked quietly as he slowly began to awaken, blinking a few times as his eyes adjusted to the dim light.  He was surprised Danielle would even attempt to write in such a low-light setting.  She dropped her left hand to avoid suspicion and quickly nodded.  “Yeah.  Yeah, it was important.  Intense.  I needed to, needed to get it down right away.  Gods forbid I forget any of it.”  _Calm down, calm down, he’s not gonna stab you, he’s not gonna stab you, didn’t Thor say he uses throwing daggers?  Oh fuck it all Danielle, CALM DOWN AND SHUT UP.  Now.  Right now.  Is he looking at me?  Of course he’s looking at me.  Where else would he be looking?  Well, perhaps not at my face…He’s not gonna stab me, he’s not gonna stab me, just write, keep writing, there ya go, you’re fine, you’re fine, OH MY GODS HE’S RIGHT BEHIND ME HE’S GONNA KILL ME.  
_

“Why are you shaking?”  He rested his chin on her shoulder.  She looked at her writing and noticed that is almost illegible because of how fiercely she had been trembling.  She shrugged.  “Caffeine withdrawal maybe?”  _Not a total lie.  It could be a contributing factor._   When he wrapped his arms around her waist she tensed up as his hands crossed her lower abdomen, the very place she he had stabbed her in the dream.

“Nice try.  Care to tell me the real reason?”  She shook her head.  “Not really.  Some stuff, yes.  But other stuff…I’m a lot like my father right now, for lack of better words.  But instead of freaking out from past trauma, it’s what I saw in the stupid nightmare that has me so…so on edge right now.”  She felt light headed and bit her lip.  _Talking about the woman you had an affair with as an adolescent while you were married to a psychotic bitch with your fiancée and only person you’ve ever loved.  Great way to start the morning!  Fuck, how do I even start that conversation?  
_

“And you decided against waking me up?” he asked curiously, sounding less concerned and more frustrated.  Danielle dropped her habit of hiding her emotions long ago, and if there was a worst time to indulge in it again now was the time.  She was shaking and evasive.  Bottling was not an option.

“It’s…it’s complicated.  And I don’t think you’re gonna react to it well.  So do me a favor and don’t shoot the messenger, okay?”

“You’re not the messenger, the spirit of the Tesseract is,” he corrected, trying to draw it out of her.  She scoffed.  “Be that as it may, I’m the fucker’s mouthpiece.  I know it’s not very legible but…”  She eagerly broke the embrace, something he quickly noticed, and turned the light on.  She returned to the board to try and ameliorate some of scrawled bits of information.

“Before you ask me how I came to this conclusion,” she began, keeping a visible distance from him as she rewrote, “just hear what I have to say.  And again, don’t get pissed at me.  By all means get pissed off ‘cause I know I sure as shit am.  But don’t get pissed at me.  ‘Cause you’re not gonna like what I have to say.”

“Isn’t that for me to decide?” he asked folding his arms over his chest, growing slightly annoyed by her cautious demeanor and blatant apprehension to speak to him.  She sighed.  “Well if I know you as much as I like to think I do I highly doubt hearing about Angrboda is something you wanna do right after waking up.  Oh, and also being lied to about something super important.  Directly related to her.”  He inhaled sharply.  “Alright, you’re correct in thinking that.  What did you see?”

“Before I get to that-”

“What did you see?” he repeated, sounding more demanding.  She rolled her eyes.  “Give me a fucking second, okay?  I kinda need to relay the entire thing.  I found myself in the throne room of all places and the spirit was there and I was mulling over that part I had yet to figure out.  ‘Three cast out by bearer’s lies, Must lift veils from the bloodline’s eyes’.  After thinking out loud and being told that I was thinking a little too much about it, that the answer was obvious, I realized that the three case out was a reference to…Hel, Fenrir, Jormungand.”  She dare not hesitate, knowing any interjection he might have would be anything but pleasant.  “And I also realized the ‘bearer’ that was referred to was Angrboda.  I asked the spirit what the lie could be and thought that it had something to do with Odin, her lying to him.  But the spirit said I was wrong and took me to a flashback.  I don’t know how this was kept from you, if it was deliberate or not but…I don’t know how Fenrir ended up being tied Gioll but Angrboda was the one who tried to kill Hel and Jormungand.  Not Odin.  I saw her drop them off the Bifrost.  So whatever she may have told you about Odin doing it was a lie and you were probably too pissed off to catch that.  And I think the ‘must lift veils from the bloodline’s eyes’ means you need to know that.  But there was more after-”

“Tell me later.  I’m in no mood to hear anything else right now.”  She narrowed her eyebrows at him.  “Bipolar much?  So much for you trying to help me figure this crap out…”

“Danielle, take a moment and think about what you just said.  That for hundreds of years I had been led to believe Odin cast out my children.  Not only was it Angrboda who did so, but that she herself tried to _kill_ my children, not just cast them out.  Do you honestly think I can take in much more right now?”  She could see he was on the verge of losing his temper, reminding her of the Loki in her dream.  But instead of growing anxious herself, her own temper began to flare up.

“Fair enough.  Guess you don’t wanna hear about how she tried to kill me.”  She capped her marker and set it down, making her way to the door.  When she reached the doorway she hesitated and looked over her shoulder.  “And Gods forbid I tell you about you actually did kill me,” she snapped.  _First lover’s spat is over kids and an ex.  Typical.  Which makes it atypical, considering this a very atypical relationship._

“I what?” he demanded.  Feigning sympathy she replied, “No, no, it’s alright, I don’t need to tell you.  You made it very clear that you don’t want to hear any more.”  She gripped the door frame, sending cracks snaking along the wood.  “And far be it from me to ever disappoint because I’m **such** a people pleaser.”  Before she allowed him a chance to respond she gave him the middle finger and calmly went to the kitchen to make her coffee.

* * *

**Bobbi’s Office, 8:40 AM**

Natasha quietly leaned against the wall behind Agent Mockingbird as she reviewed the results of the preliminary tests that had been run on P.A.G.E. and Illyana’s blood sample.  When combined with the photocopies of the documents Natasha found, which were immediately taken to the Linguistics and Cryptography Department when she returned early that morning, Bobbi was unable to draw any solid conclusions without being able to run any tests on a living specimen herself.  But she was certain of one thing.

“There are pieces of this ‘P.A.G.E.’ tied into the girl’s DNA,” she said after a few hours of silence.  “This thing worked its way into her very DNA and manipulated her genetic code.  That removes any lingering doubts that this wasn’t inspired by the Super Soldier Serum.”

“And why’s that?  Not that I doubt it myself, but I would like to hear how you arrived at this conclusion.”

“Of course you would.  P.A.G.E. enhances particular elements of genetic coding.  The things that determine one’s skeletal structure, ability to build muscle mass, tolerance and propensity for certain substances, almost everything we’ve seen in Steve and for the most part Dani-”

“Danielle,” Natasha corrected.  Bobbi turned in her chair and raised an eyebrow at her but quickly shook it off.  “What we see in them I’m seeing here.  It’s not that her genetic coding adapted to this injection, it was forcibly altered to become something abnormal.  It was tampered with.  She was tampered with.”

“There was a video camera in that room.  Coulson has watched all the footage and is currently running a cross-match on everyone who was present there when Illyana was tested on, but he has yet to tell me what he saw.”

“What he saw was a test of P.A.G.E. on Illyana.  It’s certainly not perfected.  That blood sample…The number of white blood cells has dropped and the capacities of particular chromosomes has depleted drastically.  She was a guinea pig.  Which is extremely alarming considering what this test has already accomplished.”

“You said that the genetic code doesn’t adapt, but the ‘a’ in P.A.G.E. stands for ‘adaptation’.  Adaptation to what?”  Bobbi pulled out the stack of translated papers and leafed through them.  “A good question,” she muttered to herself as she searched.

“And why ‘persona’?” Natasha continued.  “How can the genetic code adapt to one’s persona?”  Bobbi immediately stopped, eyes wide in realization.  “That’s it.  HYDRA, the Neo Nazis, want to create the perfect human race.  And what better human race than a super human race?  Hence the inspiration from the SSS.  But it’s tweaked, and this failed sample has destroyed some of Illyana’s chromosomes.  Some of which are tied to determining factors in character like temperament or morality.  It isn’t just strength and speed and all of that nonsense.  They’re tweaking it to make super humans…with super powers.  Which is probably why they want Danielle’s help.  She inherited something that’s not genetic from both of her parents.  Her genetic coding has been altered from the start.  Her body didn’t have to adapt to anything.  It’s always been abnormal.”

“That is unnerving to say the least.  The very least.  We need to see that footage, to see what happened after Illyana was injected.  What happened and why this was considered a failure.  Not just on the scientific level, that is.”

As if on cue Coulson burst the door open.  “We still don’t have any matches on the people in the room, despite having run the cross-listing program since you came back, but we did review all the footage and…I don’t know what you’ve learned or how this might help, but you need to see this regardless.”  He plugged the flashdrive Natasha used into Bobbi’s computer.  She frowned at him and pushed at the floor to move her swivel chair backwards.  “Sure Agent Coulson, go right ahead.”

“Sorry Agent Morse, but this is dire,” he replied, his tone immediately silencing any doubtful voices in her head.  He pulled up a file labeled ‘Mutation Subject 1: Illyana Rasputin’ and connected Bobbi’s computer to the projector.  After hitting play the image of the young blonde, strapped down to a metal table one would expect to see in a hospital room started up.  She was surrounded by people wearing scrubs and hospital masks, though it was obvious by the patches on their clothing that they were HYDRA lackeys and not actual doctors.  In the corner a woman clad in green with matching colored hair watched, looking sadistically amused as all but one of the agents tried to hold the girl steady.  Her mouth had been taped over to keep her quiet.

The final agent gave her an injection of what was presumably P.A.G.E. and her eyes widened, body lurching upwards as her nervous system process the pain from the alien substance coursing through her veins.  As she convulsed on the table every HYDRA agent around her began to drop dead, with something resembling a tear in space sucking whatever energy was left in them until they were reduced to unrecognizable corpses.  Soul, spirit, or biochemical composition- call it what you will but it was being drained from their bodies and pulled into these dimensional rifts that appeared around her.

“She ripped through space,” Natasha gasped, “and…forced them to astral project?”

“You believe in astral projection?”  Bobbi raised an eyebrow.  Giving her the same look Natasha replied, “I fought Gods and aliens before.  At this point the existence of unicorns wouldn’t faze me.”  Coulson made a loud hushing sound.  “This is the most important part,” he murmured to them.  After returning their attention to the screen they saw the bodies themselves teleport through the dimensional rifts.  As they closed something resembling a sword, wispy and intangible began to form in her grasp.  It quickly turned into an animate object surrounded by an aura resembling the light that formed before it appeared.  But just as fast as she had summoned it, it was gone.  Her body continued to convulse, overwhelmed by the experience and she suddenly became still, limp.  The woman in the corner examined her nails before saying aloud, “At least I don’t have to worry about clean up.”  The audio had been intentionally distorted to alter her voice.

Coulson turned to them as he turned the projection off and pocketed the flashdrive.  “Do you have any idea what we just saw?”

“The working theory is that this SSS knockoff, instead of granting speed and an absolute alcohol tolerance, alters one’s genetic coding to enhance and create…the ability to develop super powers,” Natasha replied.  “Not only superpowers, but powers based off of the individuals persona,” Bobbi added.  “Hence the ‘p’ in P.A.G.E.”  He nodded slowly.  “And how in the hell did that result in…that?”  He motioned toward the blank screen they were watching intently only moments ago.

“Well I highly doubt she wanted to be there or in the company of those HYDRA agents.  So she developed the ability to suck the life force out of them and then dispose of the bodies by separating herself from them spatially.  Those things they were sucked into resembled the portal Loki had opened with the Tesseract.  It was a tear in space.”  Natasha shrugged.  “That’s my guess.”

“And the sword that started to form was probably related to self-defense or developing the ability to fight back against those harming her.  But it was too much for her body to handle.  That would explain the depletion of white blood cells and weakened chromosomes.  The weakened ones were probably the ones which were enhanced by P.A.G.E. after she was injected.”  Coulson nodded slowly after taking in Bobbi’s explanation.  “That certainly coincides with what Dani believes about HYDRA and Neo Nazis creating the perfect human race.  A super human race which enhances the unique abilities of everyone deemed part of the ‘Aryan race’.”  His eyes widened.  “…Dani isn’t just a genius.  She has blonde hair and blue eyes.  They don’t know she’s leaving.  They probably want to use her to perfect their injections, since she was born with what they’re essentially trying to create.”

“Shit.  And Illyana had blonde hair and blue eyes.  So does Emma Frost and her daughter!” Natasha exclaimed.  Bobbi coughed to get their attention.  “So do I.  So does Clint.  Which means the twins probably will too.  Oh this is just delightful.”  Natasha suddenly went pale.  “I’m leaving.  I need to leave.  Now.”  She stormed out the door.  Bobbi turned to Coulson confused.  “What was that about?” she asked somewhat condescendingly as if the red-head was overreacting.  Coulson thought for a moment.

“I think her wife has blonde hair and blue eyes.  That makes her a potential target.  You’re a potential target, Clint’s a potential target, Dani would be if she weren’t leaving…Every blond-haired, blue-eyed person is a potential target.”  Bobbi shook her head.  “Not true.  ‘Blood and soil’, remember?  Only those with German blood, ideally born in Germany.  Danielle gets it through Tony, because Stark has its roots in German.  My last name is English but my father had a little German in him.  Barton is also English and I have no idea if Clint has German blood or not, and quite frankly I don’t have any burning desire to find out.  I can’t speak for Ms. Potts, but that doesn’t mean Natasha shouldn’t be worried.”

“…every HYDRA agent who had infiltrated had blond hair and blue eyes.  Some were wearing colored contacts, wigs, dyed hair…But they all fit the bill.”

“Illyana is obviously Russian but perhaps that’s the reason they tested it out on her.  Can’t waste a potentially perfect super human.  Not to mention the two countries don’t have the most amicable history.”

Coulson turned on his headset communicator.  “Director Fury, I need you in Ms. Morse’s office immediately.”

“What’s the code?” the director demanded.

“…is there a code for targeting people who constitute as part of the Nazi’s Aryan race?”

* * *

**Dr. Foster’s Lab, 8:32 AM**

On the other side of the base Bruce was helping out Dr. Foster and Darcy.  After learning about Steve’s reaction yesterday he wanted to give him and Tony some space, and enjoyed working with the two women.  Clint, who can see better from a distance, became suspicious of his actual intention after casting the occasional casual glance in their general direction.  He need not overhear or read lips to know what was going on; the silent body language spoke volumes.

 _This is going nowhere.  He needs a confidence boost._   Clint knocked on the partially open office door and Darcy greeted him.  “Morning Birdman,” she smiled.  “What’s up?”

“Mind if I steal Bruce for a little bit?”

“Kidnapping is actively discouraged by S.H.I.E.L.D. you know,” she joked before motioning towards Bruce.  “Hey you.  Archer wants to kidnap you.”  Bruce looked at her confused but shrugged it off as a typical Darcy-ism and left the office.  Clint grabbed him by the arm and dragged him off to a quieter, more secluded area.

“What are you waiting for?” he hissed, hands on Bruce’s shoulders.  “Just go for it!”

“Clint, what are you talking about?” he asked, gently removing his hands from his shoulders.  He rolled his eyes.  “You’re kidding, right?  Please tell me you’re kidding.  Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“Noticed what?  What’s there to notice?”

“No point in being evasive Bruce.  You like spending time in that lab.  But I haven’t seen you…doing science.”

“How long have you been spying on me?” he joked, trying to avoid the direction Clint was going.  He groaned.  “You don’t wanna be away from Steve and Tony, you wanna be around Darcy!” he exclaimed, pointing in the direction of Jane’s office.  Bruce twitched slightly.  “Would you mind terribly to keep your voice down?” he asked as calmly as he possibly could.  Clint put his hands up.  “Alright, alright, no need to go green on me.  That’s an uncontrolled environment.  At least, not an environment you have any control over.  But you looked really comfortable in there despite that.  Admit it buddy.  You like that mousy lab assistant.”

“I, um…Maybe.  I feel like her weird balance of quirky, casual, and intelligent is like a ‘sedative’.  But I couldn’t.  I can’t.  Correct me if I’m wrong but I think the Other Guy might be a bit of a mood killer.”

“She could just tase you.  She tased Thor.”

“She tased a God of lightning?” he replied doubtfully, then pursed his lips.  “I could see that happening, now that I think about it.  But that isn’t very comforting, putting that on her.  What if the Other Guy-?”

“Stop saying the Other Guy,” Clint interrupted.  “There is no Other Guy.  That Other Guy is just like when Tony puts on an Iron Man suit or when Natasha goes undercover.  It’s still you.  It’s your anger personified.  Keep talking about it like it’s another person and you turn it into another person by separating yourself from- Alright, Christ, I’ll shut up.”  The look on Bruce’s face told him he was in desperate need of a subject change.

“Why are you so concerned with the status of my love life?” Bruce sighed, running his fingers through his hair.  Clint shrugged and replied with a slight grin, “Because mine just feel apart like the Berlin Wall and you’ve got a shot at this so I’m living vicariously through you.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you,” the scientist replied sarcastically.

* * *

**CEO’s Office, 9:25 AM**

Natasha couldn’t shake the image of Pepper being tied to her chair, a needle jammed into her arm from her head until she reached her wife’s office to find she was okay.  She closed the door and leaned against it as she caught her breath.

“Would it kill you to knock first?” Pepper joked, then noticed the panicked look on Natasha’s face, a look she rarely if ever saw and a look that was always indicative of something terrible.  “Natasha, what’s going on?”

“Are you German?” she asked through heavy breaths.  “Even a little?”

“Um…I think I have an ancestor that came here from Bavaria.  Why?”  Natasha put her hands on her knees and mouthed out ‘Shit!’.  Glancing up at her wife she replied, “There’s a lot I’m not supposed to tell you.  A lot of what I do is supposed to be confidential.  But I don’t care anymore.  Not if your life is possibly in danger.  More so than usual after marrying a spy, that is.”

“My life has been in danger plenty of times courtesy of Tony-”

“Pepper!” she yelled as she straightened her back.  “This is nothing like anything you could have experienced with Tony.  Unless you’ve been kidnapped and experimented on by Neo Nazis.”  Pepper jumped, startled by her tone, and opened her mouth to speak but found herself unable to form words.  “Yes, you heard correctly.  There’s a lot going on right now, and things are only going to go downhill from here.  Dani’s leaving doesn’t help, but it’s also somehow sort of in some way a part of it?  I think?  I don’t know.  It doesn’t matter.  Maybe.  Блядь.  Let me say everything I have to say before you ask any questions.  And you’re going to have a lot of questions, by the way, so you might to write them down.”

“OK.  If you say so.”

“Where to start…?”  Natasha pulled out the collapsible chair stashed in the corner and unfolded it, facing her.  She sat down, resting her arms on her legs and folding her hands together as if in prayer, which she may have very well been in.  “I’ll just start at the beginning I suppose.  The universe is falling apart.”

* * *

**Danielle’s House, 9:14 AM  
**

“I don’t wanna spend my last two days angry.  Or any of my days.  Also, I should probably fix my doorway.  That thing won’t be able to close until I do.  Granted I only have tomorrow and then I get whisked away by Heimdall but…Now I’m just getting off topic.  Shit.  I’m a lot like my dad in that respect.  I suck at apologizing.  Unlike him it’s not because I actively avoid it, but rather I don’t have to do it often.”  She hung her head and then glanced up her at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.  “Fuck.  I’m terrible at this.  OK, try again.”  She took a deep breath.  “I was thinking about what happened earlier and I let my irritation get the better of me.  This is really difficult for me but it wasn’t until today that I took into consideration how hard it might be for you too, having to deal with my nightmares and unfortunate connection to the cube.  You’re getting dragged into my bullshit.  Normally it’s the other way around!  Yeah Dani, make a joke out of it.  That’s awesome.  And productive.  That’ll definitely accomplish stuff.”  She ran her fingers through her hair.  “Should I even bother now?  He does have a history of…holding grudges and staying bitter…Would he even be willing to hear me out?”  She blinked in thought and then exhaled deeply.  “Only one way to find out.  And it might really suck.  Or it might not really suck.  And I’m stalling.”  She smacked herself in the face and then pointed in the mirror.  “Knock it off and get used to this!” she ordered her reflection.  “No relationship is picture perfect.  Fights happen, they’re natural.  No fighting is a sign of a shitty relationship because then you’re walking on eggshells and never being totally open and honest with each other, and that’s…fucking stupid.  And you’re Danielle Olivia Rogers-Stark, damn it.  You’re not fucking stupid.  You have moments where you do fucking stupid things, but you have your dad’s weird ability to always find a way to fix stuff and your father’s habit of being dedicated and loyal to a fault to the point where it isn’t even a conscious decision.  So go out there and do whatever you can to get a head start on fixing this, because you’re dedicated and you give a damn!...Ugh, I sound like my father.  Does that mean I’m old?  It makes me feel old.  He’s hella old.  I’m stalling again!  This is an example of doing something fucking stupid.  No more stalling.  Now stop saying it, and actually do it.  Go, move, walk.  Stop talking to yourself.”  She sighed deeply.  “Comes with the territory, and you waited eight years to get here.  One fight isn’t the end of the world.  Ragnarok is.  Wait, isn’t that sorta somehow kinda my fault?  Nothing makes sense!  Fuck it, shut up, go out there, and then say things.”  She nodded encouragingly to her reflection and left the bathroom.

“I had no idea you enjoyed talking to yourself so much.”  She squeaked in surprise and spun to her left.  “Is it that much fun to-?”

“Yes.”

She put her hands on her hips.  “OK, but is it really necessary-?”

“Yes.”

“Are you just gonna keep-?”

“Yes.”

She threw her arms up in the air.  “Why do I bother?  Why do I even bother?  Wait, you’re not trying strangle me right now.  Not in the erotic asphyxiation sense but in the ‘I wanna kill you’ sense.”  Loki pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to figure out the most eloquent way to respond.  Nothing came to mind.

“What would you say if I told you that you’re overreacting?”

Looking a little defensive she replied, “I’d say I feel like you’re under-reacting.  Did you…hear everything I said in there?”

 _She’s never been involved with anyone before.  She has absolutely no idea what she’s doing right now.  Should I take advantage of that…?  No, that will just make it worse.  But it would be amusing regardless._   “I did.  And you are correct.  One lover’s spat is not the end of the world.  If that were the case then I waited eight years for nothing and I wouldn’t still be here, which is clearly not the case.  But your actions have yet to coincide with your words.”  She shrugged and put her arms up, elbows bent.  “Can ya blame me?  It does feel that way.  When it comes to conflict resolution I usually blow things up, but that’s not really an option here.  I mean I could totally do it.”  She pointed at the DIGITAL pendant.  “But I feel like it would be a bad idea…and counterproductive…even if it would be fun to blow stuff up…”

“Come here.”  He took her by the hand and led her to the couch.  She sat in the corner, legs folded beneath her and head resting against the couch.  He sat down facing her.  “You are overreacting right now.  And no, I can’t blame you.  You have no idea what you’re doing.”  She nodded slowly.  “Yeah, pretty much.  The moment I have no idea what to do is definitely a sign of the universe coming to an end,” she joked.  “So…you’re not pissed off at me?”

“I was.  But there was no point to it, so I let it go.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” she almost whined.

“Because you were the one who stormed off.  I waited until you were ready to approach me.  But then I started getting impatient so I gave you a little push.”  She snorted in amusement.  “Had ya waited it might’ve taken until tonight.”

“I realized that quickly.”

“You weren’t angry with me because of what I saw, right?”  He shook his head.  “No, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you had that impression.  And as soon as we return to Asgard I’m going to have a very long talk with Odin to find out what really happened.”

“And that’s what pissed you off.  But then why were you pissed off at me?”

“Your reaction.  But at the same time I shouldn’t have been so brusque with you.”

“Apology accepted,” she replied quietly.  “And I’m sor-”

He cut her off.  “I heard you the first time.  You were talking to your reflection but the intent was there.”  She sighed in relief.  “Awesome, ‘cause I really don’t like having to repeat to myself.  So…can I tell you the rest of it now?”

“By all means.  Is that why you were distant this morning?”  She nodded.  “Yeah, ‘cause of…that thing I mentioned.  But, um, let’s see.  OK, so after I saw Angrboda on the Bifrost I heard Fenrir off in the distance being tied up to Gioll I think.  As soon as I was off the bridge she was right behind me and she put her hang on my shoulder.  It burned through my clothes but my skin turned blue again.  And I had that weird freezing abdominal pain.  She said to me ‘Blood sustains life, but your new blood will spell out your death’.  Then I had this other pain in my abdomen and she disappeared.  I looked down and saw my hands were covered in blood and my clothes were soaked and I lifted up my shirt to see what caused it, and there was this huge hole like when I was shot before I got kidnapped by those Chitauri fuckers.  Suddenly the royal scepter that Odin always has on him rams right through me, through that hole, and I’m coughing up blood everywhere and it’s just a fucking mess.  I thought it was him who stabbed me but then I heard you behind me.  And you said ‘Allow harm to come to this new blood and I will never forgive you’.  I think the ‘new blood’ you both mentioned was a reference to the same thing but I don’t know what that thing could be.  Or why she said it was a threat to me, but it was so important to you.  Something so important to the point where you’d never forgive me if it became compromised.  Not that you really would, but for that to be said in the dream I mean.  It’s obviously something you feel or will feel strongly about.  Which she finds threatening I guess?  Maybe more so to her than me and she was trying to intimidate me?  But why did it happen after I saw what she did?  And what the hell is that freezing stomach pain anyway?  The stupid Tesseract spirit said it has something to do with Jotunnheim.  Seriously, why is there a fricken’ blizzard-esque, Jotunnheim-affiliated affliction in my abdomen?  What the shit?”  She dropped her forehead into her hand.  “I have no idea and this is getting so damn overwhelming.  A small part of me wants to go there now just to get this crap settled but after what happened with my parents, and what’s going on with my family and the HYDRA thing…They’re getting too old for this shit,” she said bluntly.  “Any ideas?”

He shook his head.  “Nothing concrete, nothing worth entertaining.  Perhaps later depending on what more you see but nothing worth worrying over right now.”  Before she could sarcastically comment on how thrilled she was to see more was in store for her Danielle heard her phone going off, the particular ringtone being that for when anyone from S.H.I.E.L.D. was calling.  She was tempted to let it go to voicemail but after what happened to her father she needed to stay updated.  Putting up a finger she said, “Hold that thought.  This might be related to my parents.”  After she came back she looked incredibly irked and tense.

“Looks like the conversation will have to be delayed.  Coulson sent me some footage earlier and thought I already watched it but I was too busy moping and eating leftover beef lo mein to do much of anything earlier.  Forwarded some related documents too…And apparently Aunt Natasha almost had a panic attack?  I have no idea.  I don’t know what’s going on anymore.  In my dreams, in the real world, anywhere.  Everything just sucks.  Ya know what?  Fuck it.  I really don’t wanna deal with anything even remotely S.H.I.E.L.D. or HYDRA related right now.  I don’t wanna deal with anything period.  I need a serious mental detox.  I need more beef lo mein.”

“I think you have a serious addiction.”

“Better than being a druggie.”


	9. Opening Stitches, Filling Niches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there's been quite the delay in getting this out but a friend of mine passed away a few days ago, I've had writer's block, my sister is sick, and school started so I've had a lot to balance.
> 
> BUT
> 
> If this helps at all...Roots and Wings will not be a trilogy. With the upcoming release of the Winter Soldier and Thor: the Dark World (and the recent release of Iron Man 3) I did a lot of thinking, careful thinking, and found some ways to continue using the Danoki-verse without exhausting the characters like I was afraid of before. I promise it won't disappoint :)
> 
> Also, here's Tom and Cookie Monster who gets TOTALLY Loki'd. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=b_ubVVnWglk
> 
> WARNING: This chapter contains Danoki fluff, Danoki banter (or rather Loki antagonizing the hell out of Dani), and Danoki non-explicit mature content.

Danielle liked to think that, now everyone knew she would be leaving and the word about HYDRA was finally out, the majority of the excitement would die down.  She would reluctantly put her trust in S.H.I.E.L.D. and invest far more in her family to adequately handle whatever problems would arise.  She hoped to get to the bottom of her nightmares and her connection to the cube.  Most of all she wanted to know how Odin intended on monopolizing her life this time.  But Danielle liked to think a lot of things.  Once she thought her fiancé (?) was a reindeer.  Two days remained, not including today.  Tomorrow and then the day after was all she had left.  She wanted to accomplish as much as possible in that short amount of time like getting in her goodbyes, make fun of Coulson for almost being completely bald, get J.A.R.V.I.S. to do his Hal 9000 impressions, and the like.  But Danielle wanted to do a lot of things.  And despite all she was and all she could do, sometimes even Danielle can’t have her way.

If she did there would not be a neatly stacked, hot-off-the-press, and crisp pile of papers sitting on a beautiful wooden desk in a hidden office.  There would be no such list contact information, jobs, places and dates of birth, and known living relatives in a series of columns and rows under the heading ‘Targets’.  This list would not include specific and elaborately detailed plans for the individuals on it; and this list certainly would not include herself, Virginia Potts, Barbara Morse, Clinton Barton, Steven Rogers, Emma Frost, or Ruby Summers.  A portion of it would not be in the hands of Viper, scanning the pages she held and highlighting particular names.  Those names would not be next on the roster for P.A.G.E. test subjects.  There certainly wouldn’t be a plan to strike after Danielle’s last week on Midgard.  And if there’s one thing that can be accepted as universal truth, it’s that there is certainly no such thing as coincidence.

* * *

**S.H.I.E.L.D. Base, New York Chapter, 12:32 PM**

Steve was too ill to speak so Tony had to teleconference in for what proved to be a most awkward and uncomfortable conversation, arguably the worst of its kind in the organization’s history.

“Move in?  As in move into the tower?” Tony asked incredulously.  “You want to have Pepper and Bobbi temporarily relocate the tower until HYDRA is dead and gone, for good this time?”

“I would stay with her if I could,” Natasha replied reaching for Pepper’s hand, moist from her nervous sweat.  “But if I need to keep an eye on her at all times _and_ still carry out my obligations as an agent and an Avenger-” 

“So who’s CEO?” he interrupted.  “Because in case the rest of you forgot –and for the record doing so doesn’t change it, believe me, I’ve tried- Dani is leaving.  And using your logic I can’t do it.  Especially if Steve is a potential target.  Even if he wasn’t sick…You guys have no idea what Dani’s news did to him.  She and I don’t even know what it did to him.  But his cold became exponentially worse after hearing it, if that tells you anything at all.”

“Can we just please focus on the discussion of relocation?” Bruce asked tapping his fingers impatiently on the table they were seated at, save for Bobbi who was leaning against the back wall.  “No one is happy about it.  I can’t speak for anyone else here, but if I had to guess I highly doubt Pepper enjoys having to give up almost all of her freedom and be monitored 24/7 like _she’s_ the criminal.  And Bobbi has a job to do too.  Not to mention other obligations to attend to.”

“I didn’t realize using the ‘p’ word was so taboo,” she muttered under her breath, garnering a series of mixed responses.  During the time she and Clint were together she was a completely different person.  Only so much of the change in character she had undergone could be harkened up to hormonal fluctuations.  “But he has a point.  I can’t be confined anywhere.  I’m needed here for analyses to make sure the idiots who are temporarily taking my place in the lab don’t mess everything up.  And I do have a few mandatory appointments to make.  Because I’m –brace yourselves, here comes the ‘p’ word- pregnant.”  She folded her arms across her chest.

“A pregnant woman living under the same roof as her ex because both their lives are possibly in danger…That sounds like a soap opera.”  Sometimes Natasha wished she could shoot Tony without facing any punitive repercussions.

“Do you not like the idea of me living there?” Pepper asked in an uncharacteristically anxious voice.  “I know we’ve already had the discussion but that was under very different circumstances.” 

“I know, but that’s not something I can answer myself.  That’s a conversation I need to have with Steve first.  And he’s sleeping for the first time in almost ten hours now that his demon cold has died down.  Even if we weren’t together he still has a say because he lives here too.”  Rarely did Tony shed his devil-may-care attitude and give the courtesy of being serious; this habit was usually reserved for matters pertaining to his husband and daughter. 

“And you can’t…wake him up?” Clint asked cautiously as Tony grew visibly frustrated.  “Clint, are you familiar with a little thing known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?” he replied condescendingly.  “I can’t go near him in his sleep because God forbid I wake him up and he thinks he’s back in Germany because he can’t stop having nightmares.  That’s the primary reason he hasn’t been able to sleep.  See this?”  He held up his wrist and rolled the cuff of his sleeve down, exposing a bruise.  “Made the mistake of waking him up and suddenly I became a Nazi soldier.  He can barely differentiate between the present and the past because his vision keeps doubling and the slightest noise somehow resembling a gunshot or an explosion sends him into a panic.  If **you** wanna try waking him be my guest, but don’t come crying to me when he tries snapping your spine because he thinks you’re the Red Skull.  The additional presences might be triggering too.  Excessive stimuli.  He can barely handle being around just me without losing his grip on reality.  If anything, having you two here with a super soldier who’s on the verge of psychosis puts you in **more** danger.”

This was the first time Tony had ever elaborated so heavily on what Steve’s symptoms were like, and it was also the first time they escalated to such a degree.  No one knew how to respond until Natasha spoke up.  “What about Dani?  Is he the same with her?” 

“She hasn’t been around since she broke the news.  And knowing her she probably feels awful and responsible because he blacked out seconds after she answered his questions.  It’s never been this bad.  _Never_.  I feel like I’m about to lose my mind because I have to walk on eggshells around him, but take care of him at the same time.”

“Maybe Steve’s the one who should relocate until he’s better, and in the mean time we move Bobbi and Pepper in,” Bruce suggested.  Tony sighed deeply.  “I’d be lying if I said the thought hadn’t crossed my mind.  There’s almost nothing I can do for him right now.  And he did work with a S.H.I.E.L.D. shrink for awhile.  Maybe he could stay there and get both ailments treated.”  He shook his head.  “I just can’t stand seeing him like this.  And I wish I knew what to do.  That’s always been the one thing people could rely on me for.  Fixing things.  Especially if I cause the mess myself.  But…he did it for me…after New York…And he helped Dani when she was struggling with assimilating and having the occasional night terror or panic attack after she was kidnapped and tortured.  I can’t return the favor.  I can’t do it for him.  Fuck,” he cursed under his breath.  “OK, obviously my apprehension has much less to do with Pepper and Bobbi than I initially thought.”

“It’s okay Tony, we’re all-”

“No, Natasha, not it is not **not** okay.  When was the last time your wife confused you with an enemy and tried to pummel you?  Is your non-existent child being whisked away by the man of her dreams against her will for a marriage that might not happen, but for a war that will?  Are the people who ran the Red Room coming after you?”  She inhaled sharply and tried to maintain her composure after Tony dared to bring that up.  Pepper was squeezing her hand now, hoping it would act as a leash to keep her from lashing out.  But Natasha’s temper wasn’t the one they needed to worry about.

“Is a little focus too much to ask for?” Bruce growled in annoyance, pounding a fist on the table.  Everyone held their breath, waiting for him to calm down (assuming he would).  He shook his head.  “Make your decision without me.  I can’t be a part of this.  Sorry guys.”  He left the conference room and made his way to Dr. Foster’s lab.  She wasn’t there but Darcy was, sitting in an alcove she made for herself in the corner when she wasn’t working.  She was curled up on a bean bag chair reading an old manga series from the early 2000s.  She perked up when she saw him enter, folding her legs beneath her and setting the book down, but as soon as she saw the look on his face she tilted her head to the side slightly concerned. 

“What’s up big guy?” she asked as she slid over, making room for him on the large bean bag and patting the empty space beside her.  “Sit.  Talk.”  He cautiously complied, breathing deeply.  She curled her lips inward and then made a popping noise with them.  “You look ready to knock heads.  What happened?”

“An argument.  I didn’t think I’d be able to stay in there for much longer without…knocking heads.”  She waved a hand dismissingly.  “Don’t worry about it too much.  Think about it too much and you’re just getting angry at the thought of getting angry.  Which would in turn make you angry.  If that made sense.” 

“I know what you’re trying to say.  And, yes, it made sense,” he replied with a slow nod.  “Where’s Dr. Foster?”

“She’s freaking out about that interstellar war that’s supposed to happen and is over with the other space nerds trying to see if they can use her theories and findings to keep the baddies from getting to Earth.” 

“Tony and I put a teleporter together based on her theories.  We needed to go to another planet but Thor’s main method of transportation was still in repair, so we made a brief alliance between magic and science.”  She snorted in amusement.  “That rhymed.  ‘Alliance between magic and science’.  If Dani and Loki ever have kids that’s what I’m calling them, the Science-Magic Alliance Brigade.  Where were you going?” 

“Do you remember the aliens from the New York attack?” 

“Like any good conspiracy theorist.” 

“We had to go to their home planet.  They kidnapped Dani.  To keep a very miserable and somewhat long story short she had died, came back to life, argued with Odin to save Loki’s life, and now she’s engaged at his command.” 

“She told Odin to go jump off a cliff, and now he’s making her marry his son?  Sounds like a sweet deal to me.  She has the hots for Loki.”

“That’s one way of putting it.  It’s not so much a long story as it is a complicated one.  Did they tell you much about the upcoming war?”  She reclined in the enormous bean bag, staring up at the bland pattern of ceiling tiles.  “Yeah, Jane and I were briefed on everything.  Coulson sounded so well-rehearsed in relaying that information.  Why doesn’t he just record it and play it for people?  Sounds a bit more efficient.  And aren’t spies supposed to be covered head to toe in wacky tech gear anyway?  Also, why doesn’t he do something about his hair?  It’s totally a wig.  I doubt you came in here to listen to me rambling about Coulson’s hair though.  Need anything?”  He shook his head.  “No, no, rambling is fine.  Ramble away.”

Despite the tension that had been created in the conference room it was finally agreed upon that both Pepper and Bobbi would move into the Avengers tower until HYDRA had been permanently dealt with.  Anything and everything that could possibly be tapped to monitor them when not under the watchful eyes of the tower’s residents would be hacked by S.H.I.E.L.D. to make sure they were safe.  The next step was to move Steve out of the tower and into a more long term care facility until his symptoms became manageable, news which Tony didn’t know how to share with Danielle. 

* * *

  **Danielle’s House, 2:19 PM**

Having been so distracted by the long overdue reunion with Loki, as well as the resurgence of HYDRA, Danielle had started to neglect some of her domestic chores.  As such she was stuck wearing a knee-length skirt and despite having increased the temperature in her home, her skin was covered in goosebumps and her teeth wouldn’t stop chattering unless she clenched her jaw.  Much to her delight she had found another distraction, a surprising but beneficial one in the form of paperwork forwarded from Pepper.  Also to her surprise she found focusing exceptionally difficult. **  
**

_I can’t wait until we get there.  I can’t stop thinking about it.  I can’t stop thinking about anything.  There’s so much going on but I really need to focus on that.  And I can’t because of everything going on here and…_   Danielle took a deep breath.  _And I…Fuck, there’s way too much going on in my head._ She looked up from the paperwork Pepper had sent her for a final review, much to Danielle’s surprise.  Seeing as she was no longer officially CEO of her dad’s company she had no idea as to why Pepper would try to get her involved in anything remotely related to work again.  “I wonder…” she began quietly, “what kind of responsibilities a queen has.  Assuming there even is a wedding.”  She finished her reviewing and critiquing, then set the sizable stack down.  Danielle was about to go find Loki until her phone started to buzz and skitter along her desk, the sudden sound making her jump. 

“Isn’t he doing S.H.I.E.L.D.-y things right now?” she muttered to herself after looking at the caller ID.  “Hey Uncle Clint.  What’s up?”

“Hey Dani.  There are some changes that are about to be implemented and I thought I’d give you a call to-” 

“I love how you’re trying to sound as casual as possible when I know whatever you have to say is craptacular,” she grunted.  “If anyone were to give me updates like that it would be my parents, no one else.  And if they’re not then they must be…elsewhere, presumably doing something in relation to said changes.  What’s going on?” 

Clint quickly explained the conclusions Natasha and Bobbi had arrived at earlier that morning, surprised she wasn’t already aware.  She had been actively avoiding contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. now that she was getting ready to leave; this was the calm before the storm and as much as she wanted to get involved she was already conflicted enough about having to leave in the midst of the current crisis.  She knew if she invested any more of her time and energy into the HYDRA situation it would only make it even more difficult for her to leave.  He understood, and proceeded to the segue for the news that would no doubt break her heart. 

“Bobbi and Pepper?  Why?” 

“They might be targets.  I could be too.  Natasha is in quite the panic right now.  I haven’t seen her this anxious since you were kidnapped.”  Danielle visibly cringed at the memory.  “It was difficult, getting everyone to agree to it, but after we laid out some guidelines it became acceptable.  Tolerable.” 

“You sound excited about living with Bobbi,” she said sarcastically, twirling strands of her hair to amuse herself.  “That explains why Pepper has been forwarding me paperwork.  Are they allowed to leave at all?” 

“Yeah, but they’ll have to be bugged.  S.H.I.E.L.D. will have all eyes on them at all times even if that means hacking into traffic cameras, cell phones, computers…Anything that can tell us where they are and if the location they’re in poses any kind of threat.  It’s a good thing you’re leaving.  This is probably why HYDRA wanted your help.  To perfect this gene enhancer which plays off of people’s personalities.”

“Probably.  And I do have the Aryan look and German blood.  What about my father?  Any idea if HYDRA is planning on fucking with him?  Terrible timing for us-…I mean you guys, since he’s sick.  And resistant to damn near every medication because of that damn serum.  How the shit did he even get sick in the first place?  I don’t think he’s ever been sick before-” 

“Dani, I need to stop you right there.  You’re leaving soon.  You can’t get too involved.”  She frowned.  “I’m not talking about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s crap.  It’s my fucking father.” 

“Yes, I know, but we’re taking care of him.  I mean it, the situation.” 

“What was with the Freudian slip?” she asked suspiciously, voice dropping an octave.  “Put my dad on the phone,” she commanded. 

“Alright, I’ll go find him…”  He saw no point in arguing with her, or he ran the risk of making her metaphorically flip a table.  When she heard Tony begin to speak on the other end she quickly interrupted before he could even complete a syllable. 

“Spare me the fluff and get right to the nitty gritty.  What in the fuck is going on with my father?”  She gave Tony some time to get his thoughts together before he relayed the information.  “It’s gotten worse, Dani.  He’s…MIA,” was all he could muster and that was all she could bear to hear.  Without even bothering to spare a farewell she hung up, ready to throw her phone and destroy every piece of furniture in the room until it looked like a tornado had whipped through.  Instead her lips parted slightly as she tried to catch her breath, hands shaking as she set her phone down.  ‘MIA’, when used by Tony in regards to Steve, was a succinct way of describing his state of mind and stood for ‘Mentally In Action’; it was a reference to confusing the present with the past.  “Field trip time.”  She looked down at her partially bare legs.  “This is gonna be grand...Just hella grand.”  Without word or warning she left her office, grabbed her jacket, and did her best not to slam the door behind her.  Her entire body trembled from the anxiety Tony’s implicit explanation provided and she didn’t know what to expect when she reached her family’s home. 

Pepper and Bobbi were already in the process of moving in, and Danielle was surprised to see Darcy and Jane there assisting.  She heard nothing about the two of them moving in but with Thor’s eventual return it wouldn’t surprise her if Jane frequented to the point where living there only became a logical move, pun slightly intended.  The mansion was turning into a college dormitory; it had alcohol, late night lab work, exes living under the same roof, and a residence supervisor (affectionately known as J.A.R.V.I.S.) which was somewhat stressful for Steve to be around.  There was too much happening at once and he had literally awoken to learn that he was being forced out of his home for the well-being of everyone around him along with his own.  

Once he accepted the ramifications he insisted on seeing Danielle just in case it was the last time he would be able to before she left for Asgard, and was pleasantly surprised to see she was already there.  Tony felt much more at ease with her present; aside from any relaxing affect it could possibly have on Steve she was also able of holding her own against him should his symptoms get the better of him.  The three of them were in Steve and Tony’s bedroom, the former sitting in bed still sick with his cold, and the latter sitting on the edge next to Danielle. 

_He’ll be in good hands_ , she kept telling herself as she took a folded piece of paper out of her pocket.  “They aren’t imposing any dumbass restrictions on what you can have with you, are they?”  Steve shook his head.  “I don’t think so, no.  Though I have yet to inquire.”  She beamed and handed it to him.  “Well if they do I’ll come back down here and beat them up if comes to that.  In the mean time I want you to hold onto this then.”  He took it from her and opened it up, a small smile beginning to work its way across his lips.  Tony felt as though he hadn’t seen Steve smile in well over a millennium.  “This is when we went to Boston,” he said fondly reflecting upon the memory of the family outing.  She nodded.  “I’ve kept that picture by my bedside at my house just like I did here.  I thought, I dunno, it might be a little…uplifting or something.” 

“Thanks Dani.  So, two more days?”  She nodded slowly.  “Yeah.  Speaking of…”  She turned to her dad and then back to her father.  “There’s something I wanna talk to you two about.”  She twisted the engagement ring nervously.  “I’ve been worrying so much about you and everything that’s going on here that I’ve been neglecting something in my life that I need to be putting a lot of thought into.  I need the two of you to promise not to get paranoid and temperamental, and remember that I am in fact an adult.”  Tony and Steve exchanged nervous but curious looks.  “And yes, it’s about Loki.”  She added the obligatory disclaimer with a slight roll of her eyes.  “First I have a question though.  How did you two know when you were ready?” 

“Ready for what?” Tony asked slowly.

 “Um, well, relationship stuff…”  She scratched the back of her head.  Steve coughed and raised an eyebrow at her.  “What kind?”

"Stage two..." 

* * *

 

  **3:46 PM**

 “I’m back!”  Danielle kicked her sneakers off, hung up her jacket, and closed the door behind her.  She seemed rather jovial despite where she had been.  The blonde jostled up the steps to the second floor of her home, one large room devoted to her enormous book collection.  It resembled a public library; the books were even categorized using the Dewey Decimal System.  There were mismatched couches, loveseats, and sectionals lining the walls and just as equally mismatched tables and chairs in between the long, tall rows.  Tony may have been skilled with a blowtorch but there was nothing like old-fashioned carpentry, countless bookshelves being the outcome of the work, as a housewarming present from one’s father.  The furniture, all of which she insisted on dramatically contrasting each other, came from her old bedroom and various thrift stores in Manhattan.  When one was not with the other this was generally the place to find either Loki or Danielle.

“That explains why it was so uncharacteristically quiet here.  Where did you run off to?” he asked half invested in reality, not even bothering to look up from the book he was reading.  “Got a call earlier and had to head over to my parent’s place right away,” she replied.  She was going to elaborate on the situation until she saw what he was reading and broke into a bratty grin.  “So…about that essay…I know it’s eight years overdue but- Aw, you’re making the ‘I wanna strangle you’ face!  That really takes me back.  So many fond memories of having my life threatened and bitching at you.  Actually, now that I think about it, not much has changed since then.  Well, my hair’s shorter.  That’s different.”  She tugged lightly at her bangs.

“And what you lost in its length your voice gained in volume.” 

“Sorry, what was that?” she said loudly cupping her ear.  “I can’t hear you over the sound of how obnoxious I’m being!”  She giggled and sat down beside him, turning to face him.  “So, um, I don’t mean to distract ya-” 

“Liar.” 

“I hope I kick you in my sleep again.  Anyway, question.”  He put his arms over her, still holding the book, and pulled her all the way onto the couch so she was lying on her back and resting against him, a leg lazily hanging off the edge. 

“You have my undivided attention,” he replied intentionally monotone to annoy her some. 

“Who’s the liar now?” she mocked as she turned onto her side and slid an arm over his chest.  “But, um, I was wondering…While I was doing that paperwork it reminded me of all my responsibilities as a CEO.  Nostalgia.  And then I got to thinking-”

“That sounds like a catastrophe waiting to happen.  Give me a moment to brace myself.” 

“Shove it or I’ll kick you now,” she playfully threatened, head resting just above his heart.  “I know how to run a company.  I know how to destroy other companies when they get in my way.  But…what are a queen’s responsibilities?”  Even though he hardly flinched she could tell her question caught him off guard as his heartbeat quickened slightly.  “I’m just curious.”  She bit her lip.  _Should I…?  I mean, is it what I want?  Right now?  Am I ready to add it to my to-do list?_

_She’s not lying…but she isn’t telling the entire truth either._ “Seeing as I’ve never been a queen before you’re asking the wrong person,” he joked.  She raised an eyebrow at him.  “Wanna try that again?”  He set the book down, arms still around her and leaned his head back as he thought.  “As I told your dad there would be an expectation for you to bear an heir, but I also told him that if Odin had the audacity to even suggest it I would actively encourage you to maul him like a rabid creature.  A task which shouldn’t prove difficult for someone possessing a temperament of your caliber…or rather the lack thereof.  Aside from that, there is little else that would be expected of you.” 

“So a queen is just supposed to stand there and look pretty, and pop out a few kids?”  _Sounds riveting._

“For lack of better words, yes.”  She grunted.  “Screw that.  If that time comes there’s no fricken’ way I’m gonna be anyone’s trophy wife.  Or incubator.”  _Saying ‘if that time comes’ sounds so…wrong.  I feel like I need to wash my mouth out._

“I’m sure Odin will be thrilled to hear that.”

“Well he can go fuck himself.  It’s not his engagement, it’s ours.”  She felt his heartbeat quicken again.  “Maybe.  Kinda.  Probably.  So, um, yeah, anyway.  You wouldn’t care if I broke the mold, right?” 

“Gods no,” he replied laughing at the idea.  “If you didn’t at the very least attempt to do so I’d start to worry you had sustained some sort of permanent brain damage that altered your personality.  If that day comes I would expect you to be the most blunt, abrasive, demanding, loud queen Asgard has ever-”  She grabbed the book out of his hands and bopped him over the head with it lightly.  “I get it, I get it.”  She set it on the coffee table in front of the couch and curled up to him as close as she possibly could, his hands falling onto her stomach. 

_My cardiac cavity feels ready to explode.  Oh fuck, I can’t do it.  I can’t.  YES I CAN.  I’M DANIELLE OLIVIA FUCKING ROGERS-STARK.  I CAN LIFT MORE THAN THREE TIMES MY WEIGHT AND I CAN TELEPATHICALLY BLOW UP AN IRON MAN KNOCK OFF.  SO I CAN DEFINITELY definitely not say the thing I wanna say._  “Oh, right, family stuff.  Apparently anyone with the Aryan look, especially people with German blood, are being targeted by HYDRA for some genetic enhancement crap they developed that’s basically a perversion of the Super Soldier Serum.  So Pepper and Bobbi, Uncle Clint’s ex, have to move in to the tower.” 

“I told you to be grateful you no longer lived there.” 

“You knew it would get to this level?” she asked almost in disbelief. 

“You were the one who brought up the possibility of creating a Fourth Reich.  They would meet those aforementioned qualifications and with their respective connections to S.H.I.E.L.D. extra measures would need to be taken to ensure their safety.  That never occurred to you?” he asked, sounding rather surprised himself. 

“I’ve been…elsewhere, mentally.  A lot on my mind.  But I’m changing that.  Just let go of all the stuff happening with S.H.I.E.L.D., try to accept but not get too involved in what’s happening with my family, and…keep my focus where it belongs.” 

_Where it belongs?  It sounds as if she…No.  Wait until she explicitly gives an answer.  As increasingly difficult as that has proven itself to be..._   He had said time and time again that he wouldn’t influence Danielle’s decision when it came to the engagement, but it was no secret what Loki wanted.  He wanted her to wear that ring with pride, to see her gorgeous blonde hair shimmering against the golden backdrop of the palace in the radiant Asgardian sun, to see her deep blue eyes sparkle under the brilliant glimmer of the Asgardian moon and stars, perhaps even a child with her fair skin and diabolical pout (the first child who would be born to him out of love, not obligation or carelessness, something only possible with Danielle), to fall asleep next to her each night and wake up every morning with the reassurance that she wasn’t just a dream, and to live out the rest of his days like that.  But after eight years of being apart the reunion was wearing out his patience.  “Sounds like a good plan to me.  You never did say what’s happening with your family, though.”  

_I was getting ready to tell Loki but…Gods, how can I do that now?  I can’t…I feel sick.  I’m not gonna toss but I might as well.  Shitty subject change.  Just remember he’ll be fine.  He’ll be fine…somehow._ “My father’s PTSD has progressed.  He’s mixing up reality with the past.  Having everyone in that tower while he’s there is dangerous.  They’ll relocate him to S.H.I.E.L.D. until this passes so he doesn’t…so he doesn’t…”  She clenched her jaw and her eyes began to burn as if acid had been splashed into them.  She wiped them with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.  “This has happened before, maybe two or three times that I can remember.  But he’s never gotten so bad that he might be a threat to people around him.  My birth kinda helped curb that, gave him motivation to totally dismantle the hold that the past had on him.  He seemed okay, okay enough at least, when I went over there.  I don’t know how I’m going to get through the rest of this week without losing my fucking mind.  Let alone the rest of the day.”  _I might have one…Oh Gods that conversation will be so…ARGH!  DO IT NOW!  No, no, no, no, don’t.  Why not?  Because…I have no reason not to!  But…I excel at not coming up with good excuses._

“I think I might know of a decent way to start.” 

“Listening.” 

“Two things.  Be still and be quiet.” 

“Not gonna make a joke about how that’s asking a lot from me?” she asked raising her eyebrow. 

“You’re still talking.  I don’t need to.”  She scrunched her face in annoyance.  “You’re mean.  I hate you,” she said poking him on the nose. 

“So I’ve been told.  You have a very strange way of showing it however.  If this is how you express your hatred I’m very curious as to how you express your love.”

“Can I just say one more thing?”  _What I wouldn’t give to spend the rest of my days like this.  Just me, just him.  No one and nothing else.  Talking about anything, everything, nothing.  There’s just…there’s just no way I can imagine a future without him._

“I’m surprised you’re asking permission.” 

“Good point.  I’d talk regardless.  I just wanna say I love you.” 

“Still won’t shut up…Why am I not surprised?”  She giggled softly as she closed her eyes.  “You have a funny way of saying ‘I love you too’.”  _Maybe I just need some sleep or something…A chance to relax…I can tell him about it after I wake up…So much junk in my head right now…But I wanna tell him before we leave.  Nice way to say ‘Hey Odin, nice weather we’re heaving.  Oh yeah, and go fuck yourself’.  I make that choice.  He can’t do it for me._   She smacked herself on the forehead.  “Crap.  I completely forgot about that paperwork Pepper sent me.  I need to send that back.  I won’t be able to relax if I don’t take care of it right away.  Deadlines and all that nonsense.  I’ll be right back.”  _…WHAT THE FUCK DANIELLE what are you doing are you even listening to what you’re saying no obviously you’re not what the fuck?!  Just say it!  Do it!  Now is the perfect time!  EXIT NOT NECESSARY.  EXIT COUNTERPRODUCTIVE._

He tightened his hold on her.  “It can wait.”  She suppressed a laugh.  “Are you sure you wanna play that game with me?”  Not even giving him the chance to respond she effortlessly broke out of his grasp and rolled over so she was atop him on all fours.  She grabbed his wrists and pinned them down on the couch.  “You know I can easily overpower you.  Which I’m pretty sure I just demonstrated.  I may not look the part but I do have super strength, in case you forgot.” 

“You know I could teleport my way out of this.  For all you know you might be arguing with a corporeal illusion.” 

“I still don’t know if that’s resourcefulness or a cop-out,” she retorted.  “Besides, I know it’s really you.” 

“How?”

“‘Cause if the real Loki loves me like he claims to then he wouldn’t pass up the chance to cuddle with me.  But if he did pass up the chance to cuddle with me, then he doesn’t love me like he claims to.  According to modus tollens.” 

“Sometimes I truly hate how intelligent you are.”

“Must suck getting a taste of your own medicine on a regular basis.  Also, I don’t even need to be able to read-…know that thing you do every time you lie to know you’re lying right now.  Admit it.  You love the challenge.”

“Danielle, I’m going to tell you a secret.  Arguably my best kept secret.  You mustn’t breathe a word of this to anyone.”  He paused for dramatic effect.  “I lie often, and I’m quite good at it.” 

“What?  You?  No way.  Uh-uh.  Not possible.  You’re the epitome of Aristotelian virtues.” 

“Quite possible.  Very possible.  This may come as a surprise to you but I’ve had a lot of practice.”  He glanced over at her tight hold on his wrists.  “You can cease restraining me.” 

“I can, yes.  Very tempted not to.  But I kinda like you like this.  And by ‘kinda’ I mean a lot.  Sadly that paperwork requires my attention.”

“And I don’t?” he asked with a slight pout.  She huffed.  “Do you wanna be restrained or not?  Make up your mind.  No, I’ll save you the trouble and do it for you.  I’m nice like that.”  After flashing another bratty grin she got up and headed back downstairs, and Loki watched her carefully as she left.

“She’s hiding something,” he muttered to himself once she was out of earshot.  “A habit she allegedly broke.  If she feels the need to keep it from **me** it must be interesting.”

Danielle’s house was modestly furnished.  The minimalism she craved in her youth and eventually received was but one of many things she would have to sacrifice during her time in Asgard.  The majority of the furniture was purple and she possessed little more than the bare essentials; the exception was her office space which required an abundance of technology for her to work efficiently and at optimal capacity.  She always had the door closed however, even when she wasn’t working. 

After a little searching she grabbed the documents from Pepper off her desk.  She scanned them onto her laptop and forwarded them to the CEO email.  “I know I said I wanted to live more minimalist,” she muttered as she hit ‘send’, “but HOLY SHIT my office belongs in a fricken’ museum for the history of technology.  Then again I did always tell dad I didn’t care much for the excess of machines he built, save for the suits…”  She rested her elbows on her desk and slumped down, starting to think aloud.

“I’d like to get to Asgard with something to offer, not totally clueless.  Regardless of what Odin wants from me it’s been established that Ragnarok is on its way, and the cube is telling me bits and pieces of what to expect, as well as the occasional past occurrence which apparently holds some relevance to the whole thing.  But how relevant is it in all actuality if it’s speculative?  If it’s ‘could be’ and ‘maybe’ and ‘seems like’.  I know I can’t expect anything definite because THERE IS NO definite future now.  But I need to have an arsenal of information ready since it seems like…everyone’s kinda depending on me.”

“Nothing is entirely dependent on you.  Rather, they’re waiting with bated breath for you to provide some sense of direction before they act.  You won’t be expected to lead anything.  At least I hope not.  I’m only willing to share you with the others for so long.”  

“Surprised you’re willing to share me at all,” she chuckled.  “I do so with great reluctance,” Loki replied from her desk chair, then began a mental countdown.  _Five, four, three, two-_

“When the fuck did you come down here?!” she exclaimed, jumping up and turning to face him.  He laughed.  “Don’t look so happy to see me.  You, my dear,” he said extending a finger and twirling one of the tassels on the end of her skirt, “are acting rather suspicious.  Care to tell me why?”

“What?  No I’m not.”  She took a step back so she (and her clothes) were out of his reach.  He rolled his eyes and sighed.  “For the thousandth time you can’t- No, I’m not even going to bother anymore.  No matter how many times I say it you still insist on trying so clearly my words fall on deaf ears.”

“You’re imagining things.  I’m not acting suspicious.  I’m not lying.”  She folded her arms over her chest defensively.  He leaned back in her chair and folded his hands in his lap, looking at her expectantly.  “I’m waiting.”

“Well you’re gonna keep waiting.”  _He knows.  Does he know?  He knows there’s something to know about.  Does he know what there is to know about?  How did he even know there was something to know about?  What did I do to give it away?  He’s not a mind reader.  I didn’t say anything.  Was it body language?  I do play with the ring a lot, involuntarily.  Did that give it away?  Wait, why would he be watching my hands so intently to come to that conclusion anyway?  He’s my fiancé, he’s probably always staring at me.  Wouldn’t expect it to be my hands though.  And it’s pretty much impossible to keep stuff from him ‘cause he catches damn near everything.  It’s pretty much impossible to keep stuff from him ‘cause he catches damn near everything!  Fuck.  He must know.  And he’s trying to force it out of me.  Dead.  He’s dead.  He’s going to die.  Because…fuck things._

He grinned in amusement and put an elbow on one of the arms of the chair, resting his cheek against an open palm.  “Oh how I wish I could eavesdrop on that soliloquy frantically running through your mind right now.  Don’t seem so surprised, the expression on your face says all.  Have I ever told you how adorable you are when you’re in a panic?  Like an infant woodland creature…face to face with a starving wolf.” 

_He would equate looking vulnerable with looking adorable. I have such weird taste in guys._ “I’m not panicking.  Just overwhelmed with everything that’s going on.” 

“When you’re overwhelmed you panic.” 

“No I don’t,” she snapped loudly. 

“And you yell a little more.” 

“Do n-!”  She hung her head in defeat and huffed.  “OK, I’ll give ya that one.  I do.  What makes you think I’m deliberately hiding something from you Loki?  It’s not like you know every single detail about me and what goes on in my mind!  And why are you so interested in whatever it is you think I might be hiding from you?”  Her heart was a wrecking ball, and her ribcage a dilapidated building crumbling asunder from the pressure. 

“The less you say, the more I hear.  Those two questions alone speak volumes, Danielle.” 

“…you have cabin fever.”  She nodded slowly to herself.  “That’s what this is.”  

“I’m not the one who’s forcibly confined to my own home, though I can certainly empathize with your plight.  I could come and go as I pleased if I felt compelled to do so.  If anyone were to suffer from deteriorating sanity it would be you.” 

“Well that might explain _my_ behavior then.” 

“So your behavior requires an explanation?” 

“I didn’t say that!  But maybe I am getting cabin fever.  Maybe that’s why you think I’m acting suspicious.”

“I am **very** curious to see how long you can keep this act up before you break.”  He folded one leg over the other and tapped his fingers along his cheek.  “Go ahead darling.  Entertain me.”

Her eyes darted about as she formulated a terrible explanation.  “…the stress is screwing with my hormones!  Yeah, that must be, it **must be** what’s going on.”   _That was terrible...I can do better than that!_ she mentally scolded herself.  He smirked.  “Your hormones?  Danielle, if you wanted me so badly you need only ask,” he mocked.  “That would explain what happened upstairs…”  Slightly flustered she grumbled, “Right now the only thing I wanna do really badly is snap your neck.”

“Where’s this sudden embarrassment coming from?” he asked, trying to provoke her further.  “You’re one of the most shameless women I know, if not the most.  Considering I’ve met Amora that’s saying something.” 

“Wouldn’t you have to know her fairly well to make an accurate comparison?” she asked raising an eyebrow.  His lips parted slightly and he grinned.  “Is someone jealous?” he chaffed.  “I thought that was my niche.”

“I’m not jealous! I just- Why the fuck is this even a conversation?!”  She threw her arms up in the air and dropped her face in her palms, groaning loudly.  “Why are things so hard to say?” she whispered to herself before running her hands down her face and put them on her hips.  “Look, I’m not hiding anything.  There’s something on my mind and it’s just a thought I’m entertaining, and I’ll probably bring it up eventually.”  _If you weren’t being such a pain in the ass I might be able to bring it up now and get this over with!  Wow, I really am yelling more.  Even in my head.  Note to self- stop yelling so much.  Note to self- that’s unreasonable._

“Which I in turn find rather entertaining.” 

“…I noticed,” she said drawling out each syllable.  “But am I lying?  About having something on my mind, thinking about it a lot, and probably bringing it up at some point?  There’s that irritated, disappointed look I was waiting for.  Why do you want to get it out of me so badly?” 

“Why must you keep it to yourself?”

“I dunno.  It’s…” She started pacing back and forth.  “It’s hard to articulate in my head even!  And I wanna say it, get it out, but I can barely even say it to myself.  It’s been around in my head for awhile but I’ve been kinda neglecting it what with everything that’s going on here.” 

“Danielle, tongue tied.  The end of days truly is upon us.”  She stuck her tongue out at him and fussed with her ring.  “Don’t help.”  _I need to relax.  Just get it out already.  I need to tell him.  I felt the same way when I first told him I love him, and then it just kinda burst outta me…obligatory profanity and all.  I’m getting way too caught up in the ‘right’ way to say this.  There’s no right way, no easy way.  It’s just…words.  So fucking say something!_   She stopped pacing and stood in front of him.  “Alright.  So here’s the thing.  But first and foremost, I need your undivided attention.”

“You’ve had it this entire time.” 

“Considering I’m wearing a skirt I find that hard to believe.  And what a coincidence!  I see London, I see France, I see your liar face.”  She rubbed the back of her neck nervously and held up a finger.  “Gimme a second to _try_ and get my thoughts tog- Fuck it.  Just fuck it.”  She leaned towards him and clamped both hands on the armrests of the chair, essentially trapping him.  He was slightly startled by the sudden aggression, but he intuited it to be a very palatable flavor of frustration from Danielle.  He quickly glanced down and then up at her face.  “I can’t promise you my undivided attention from this angle…” he said voice trailing off, mentally elsewhere.  She rolled her eyes, ignoring him.

“See, here’s the thing.  I’ve been neglecting something extremely important.  Probably the most important thing I need to be thinking about.  And this, this thing I **need** to say, I can’t wait anymore.  It needs to be said.”  She took a deep breath.  “I don’t know if I’ve made this apparent or not but I don’t give even half a fuck about what Odin wants.  Not from me, and certainly not from you.  Even if he wasn’t lying when he said he just wants you to be happy…Well, he says a lotta things.  Also, if you’re in Asgard and I’m here that would get in the way of me being able to irritate the ever living shit out of you.  And as The Parasite I deem that unacceptable.  It doesn’t work that way.  Lastly, Fenrir’s cute and fluffy and I love cuddling with him.  So with all that in mind –Odin’s agenda being irrelevant, not being able to annoy you, and not being able to see my favoritest big furry cuddle machine whenever I damn well please- I think it’s fairly obvious what the next logical step is.”  She sighed sympathetically and shrugged.  “I’m afraid you don’t a choice.  No say in the matter.  There’s just no getting around it.  You have to marry me.” 

After the immediate shock dissipated from hearing her utter those words he thought to himself that it was probably one of the least romantic and ridiculous marriage proposals in the history of all that is, was, and ever will be.  Considering this was Danielle however he would have been sorely disappointed had it been otherwise.  Smirking again, he put his hands on her hips and pulled her onto the chair so she was on his lap.  “I was wondering how much longer you were going to keep me waiting.”

_I feel like an idiot…Of course I’d say yes in the end!  It really was just a matter of time.  Silly me.  As if anything was going to change…I just needed to be ready.  And I am.  I can confidently say I am._ “I’ve noticed that there has to be a run-in with a large organized group that wants something from either you or me, a crazy blue-eyed blonde bitch pulling the strings, and for my family to go through a major crisis to get the ball rolling when it comes to us.”

“I hadn’t realized there was a pattern but that sounds quite accurate.  And what finally brought you to this point?  Being able to make the decision?  I thought you were going to wait until you could interrogate my father.”

“Like I said before, it’s _our_ engagement.  Not his.”  Her cheeks started to turn bright pink again after uttering the words ‘our engagement’.  “As for what helped me make my decision…I just realized that I can’t imagine life without you.  That doesn’t sound like a life at all.  I’ve had to do a lot of dangerous, reckless, ridiculous stuff for you, to be with you, and I’ve loved every second of it.  Thrived on it, the incessant adrenaline rush I like to call ‘being your better half’.  And it’s blatantly obvious that we’re pretty fucking crazy about each other, so I think if we had to stay apart for much longer it would become a race to see who throws a huge conniption and starts destroying everything in sight first.  I’d put my money on you since old habits die hard.  Also, let’s be honest here, you’d be so lonely and bitter without me so this works to your benefit.  See?  I’m thoughtful and accommodating like that.”  _Way to keep it romantic.  Yeah, just like in the movies.  Well…it could’ve gone worse.  I could’ve mentioned ninjas again.  Gotta keep the material original._

“It would be very thoughtful and accommodating of you to get this out of my way,” he replied gently running his fingers down her arms, buried beneath a sweatshirt and a long sleeved shirt. 

“Since you asked nicely…”  Her red sweatshirt hit the floor and she roughly grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him forward for an aggressive and demanding kiss.  “And if I hadn’t?” he murmured against her lips as his grip on her hips tightened possessively, running the risk of leaving tiny bruises.  She grinned.  “Striptease.”

“And that works against me how exactly?”

“Thirty percent strip, seventy percent tease.”

“You, Danielle, are a bitch.”

“Yes I am,” she said proudly, biting his lower lip.  “But you started everything when you decided to pull aside that day after class.  And you gave me the ring.” 

“That I did.  Tell me.”  He slid his hands up along her curves, bringing her shirt along with them, and carelessly tossed it aside after removing it.  “What was going through mind when you first saw me there?”

“Something to the effect of ‘holy shit, holy fuck, what the shit, what the fuck, this isn’t real life’,” she snickered while his hands explored her chest, eliciting the occasional gasp.

“And when I requested to speak with you?”  She thought for a moment.  “Same thing.  I **really** didn’t wanna talk to you,” she said with a small laugh.  “I was pretty freaked out at first.  What about you?  What were you thinking when you found yourself face-to-face with the daughter of two of the Avengers?”  She began rapaciously ripping away each belt and buckle like thin strips of paper.

“I was very curious as to what was going through your mind.  Of all the people...Initially I thought your presence was intentional, part of my punishment.  And I had to keep reminding myself that I couldn’t hold you down and kill you.”  He tangled his fingers through her silky hair and kissed her clavicle, gradually working his way up her neck.  “Now I would kill just to hold you.” He nipped her earlobe. 

“What were you expecting me to say, if anything at all?”  A warmth began to rise in her stomach and radiate throughout his entire body as she firmly pressed her palms against his bare chest and dragged her fingers downwards, leaving thick pink lines as she raked her nails as a sign of growing impatience, almost to the point of drawing blood.

“I didn’t think you would have anything to say at all.”  A low satisfied hum vibrated deep in her throat when he bit her gently on the neck.  “Clearly I was proven wrong.  But I could feel your eyes on me, which was slightly unnerving.”

“Ha.  Me.  Quiet.  That’s a funny thought…And here we are eight years later, still at each other’s throats.  Literally.  Wouldn’t have it any other.”  After a series of snapping sounds the skirt slowly began sliding off of her waist, a thinner layer a fabric beneath it following suit.

“I doubt you would know of any other way.”  Her breathing had grown heavy and loud once their lips finally met again.  Her soft palms anchored onto his shoulders with such pressure that it would have bruised a human.  She flexed her fingers, pressing her chest against his. He licked his lips in anticipation.  

“That’s probably because my vice,” she began, tilting his chin up.  “My weakness.”  His hands snaked up her back to do away with the last article of clothing above her waistline, leaving nothing between them. “My profligate obsession.”  If he had his way he would burn what currently dangled by a thin strap from his fingertip, but Danielle had a fit the first time he destroyed one (forgivable in the heat of the moment, but not when done so ‘To reduce the amount of obstacles’ in his way) and the lilac colored fabric dropped to the floor.  “My shameless indulgence.”  Just as Danielle had a weakness for literary allusions to lust and desire, her vocabulary and eloquence was arguably one of the most attractive things about her to a silver-tongued God.  “The unraveling of my caution and downfall of my decency...What's left of it, that is.”  She ripped the DIGITAL pendant off her neck and added it to the pile growing on her office floor.  “My delicious depravity incarnate…”  Her lips descended but she stopped when there was the distance of a breath and a moan between them.  He growled in annoyance; that was a habit of hers which vexed him to no end and his reactions highly amused her.  She wrapped her arms around his neck, forehead to his, trying not to laugh in triumph as her petal-pink lips finally met his with a dark hunger and a fiery passion.  “…is a recalcitrant, silver-tongued, unbelievably adorable trouble maker.  Remember that?”  She grinned playfully.  “And yours is but a parasite, if memory serves.”

His hands disappeared beneath her waistline and she reflexively arched her back slightly, breath hitching.  “Much more than that,” he replied, low voice dripping with promises of pleasure that would have her seeing stars.  The sound alone was enough to send a shiver down her spine.  “Mine is a queen.” 

Barely able to get out her words as her fingertips traced out the muscles on his upper arms she asked quietly, “Wouldn’t it technically be queen regent?”  She couldn’t help but get hung up on the semantics and he tried hard not to let it ruin the moment, reminding himself that it was par for the course when dealing with Danielle. 

“Not in my eyes.  Right here, right now, right before me, is a queen.  **My** queen. I will have no other…I do not settle for anything less than perfection.”  Loki’s hands reappeared and he spun the chair so it was facing the wall, and he threw Danielle up against it.  “But I’ve found something even better than perfection.  I’ve found you.  And I refuse to part from you ever again.”

“When this damned war is over consider your wish granted.  ‘Cause I’m not going anywhere.”  Her words were accompanied by the sound of buttons coming undone.  The pile on the floor was complete. 

“If I had my say there would be no wait.”  _I never thought it possible to want, to need, to love another as strongly as I do you. Though the yelling I could do without._

“If you had your say there wouldn’t have been a wait eight years ago.”  _The wait was absolutely worth it…And your worth is beyond measure. Holy fuck, I love you. Even if you're mean to me sometimes._

“I highly doubt you would’ve complained at the time.”  He pinned her arms to the wall, hands parallel with her shoulders and pressed the majority of his upper body weight against her alabaster form, which was deceptively lacking any noteworthy defined muscle mass.

“Are you sure you’re not a mind reader?”  She locked her fingers with his. 

“I don’t think it’s your mind I’m reading,” he replied with a slight chuckle as the gravitation brought their lips back together.  She ran her tongue along his lower lip.  “Guilty,” she stammered as he swallowed her moan and began to whisper everything he was planning for her in her ear.  “Holy shit,” she breathed as he continued.  “I should tell you to marry me more often.”


	10. It's In Your Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delays folks. Friend died, cat died, boyfriend moved, sister got sick, school is...school. For those who follow me on DeviantArt you saw Dani hack into my account and give y'all the update. I hope she doesn't make a habit of that...Anyway, here's chapter 10.
> 
> Btw, Darcy's last line in the chapter is a reference to episode one of The L Word. If you've seen it you'll know the line I'm talking about.

Day five was coming to a close.

Any signs of Steve’s cold letting up had been temporal or misread; not long after he found himself back in the same residential area of the base he stayed in after the New York attack while trying to integrate into the 21st century, before moving in with Tony, feverish and groggy.  He had grown used to the chest pains by now but they reminded him of a time before Captain America or Captain Rogers, when he was still a frail and sickly adolescent from Brooklyn.  It had been decades since Steve endured an asthma attack but there were moments, albeit fleeting, where memories of the pain were stirred up because the cold was so strong.  Aside from its persistence, his voicing of this concern meant there was far more than merely a PTSD relapse and a terrible cold at work here.

Because he had spent so much time in bed he never noticed it until forced to be mobile but he felt as if his muscle mass, one of the serum’s many gifts, had begun to deteriorate.  His frame appeared smaller and his clothes were looser.  Aside from bedsores and general muscle pain that accompanied a vicious cold such as this Steve was suffering from a bizarre set of symptoms which couldn’t be linked to any particular illness but undoubtedly held some sort of connection to the SSS.  The doctors were stumped but a working theory was being entertained.  Aryan appearance or not Steve was still very much a target of HYDRA’s because of his connection to its presumably deceased founder.  If they were intent on manipulating the original formula of the serum to create a superhuman race, which had been made quite clear after viewing the footage Natasha retrieved, they could just as easily use the original formula to create an antidote of sorts.  HYDRA wouldn’t simply want the world; they would want a world free of their longtime enemy Captain America.  And what better way to remove him from the equation than to literally remove him, reducing him to nothing more a fragile, normal human?  With no serum to slow his aging the lack thereof would not only do away with any strength he could use to thwart their plans again but also the very thing that had kept him alive for so long.  Unfortunately there was no way to confirm the hypothesis as there were no existing samples of Steve’s genetic material prior to injection so no comparisons could be conducted.  But there did exist a weaker version of the serum in another living being who was still conveniently residing in the same dimension.

She had anticipated her final week to consist mostly of spending time at home, not constantly going back and forth between the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, the tower, and Stark Industries.  When Danielle called to confirm the engagement with the rest of her family she intended to keep it as brief as possible with no desire whatsoever to leave her bedroom.  Instead she was given a heartfelt congratulation all around and a relayed order to go to base to give a blood sample.  Though initially advised against staying, after seeing his physical condition in addition to his mental state Tony was refusing to leave until the S.H.I.E.L.D. medical team had something to work with.

“This is taking for-fucking-ever,” the blonde muttered under her breath, jacket folded in her arms as she leaned against the wall of the hospital room.  “If Bobbi was allowed to be in the labs they would’ve found something eons ago…I could probably find something quicker than those dumbfucks!”

“Danielle, can you try and watch your volume?”  Steve didn’t know if his headache was another physiological symptom or stress induced but it didn’t matter, as either scenario would have rendered him just as equally photosensitive and sensitive to noise.  She winced and mumbled an apology.  His voice was just as bad but now that he was in proper lighting the sight of her father caused Danielle herself to feel ill.  The three of them continued to wait in his hospital room for what felt like another eternity until the head of the medical staff came in looking as grim as an apprentice mortician after the first day of job shadowing.

“I apologize for the lengthy amount of time this took,” she began, “but we do have an explanation.  What we still lack is an explanation for the explanation.  We compared your old blood samples that we took not long after you first awoke to Danielle’s and both had ample presence of the serum, hers of course being a little ‘watered down’.  When we looked at your blood now we found that the serum is…depleting.  Coming undone.  We don’t know why but with HYDRA having the ability to create a tweaked version of it we think you have been exposed to another concoction of theirs, something meant to undo the original formula.”

“Um, doc, you might wanna be careful with your word choice,” Danielle advised.  A reference to waking up after being in a cryogenic stasis was enough to make Steve see double again.  She nodded apologetically.  “Yes, of course.  While you’re here we will be able to keep this from causing further harm, now that we know what’s going on.  Of course there is no way to re-inject you Steve, but can find a way to reverse the reversal.  We know enough about the serum to be able to-”

“How?” Tony interrupted.  He was sitting next to Steve’s hospital bed.  “How can you undo what’s being undone?  If it took you that long to even find out what’s going on-?”

“It doesn’t matter,” his husband hoarsely snapped.  “They have enough information on the serum, they can talk to Bobbi if need be, they’ll figure it out.  I’m more concerned about what’s going on in my head right now.  Thank you Dr. Giles.”

With a snap of her fingers to get the doctor’s attention Danielle said firmly, “Giles, I need a word with you.  _Immediately_.”  The restraint in her voice was highly indicative of how greatly she had to contain her temper.  She nodded towards the doorway and stormed out into the hall, the doctor following behind her.  Steve leaned towards Tony.  “You should probably make sure she doesn’t go on a rampage.”

“Good idea,” he agreed with a quick nod.  “You’re sure that you’re content with just that?  No further explanation?”

“I don’t want one right now.  I don’t want to think about it.  I’m more concerned about my mental well-being.  That’s more difficult to manage.”  His heavy exhale sounded like fifty grit sandpaper scraping along cement.  “Just go check on Dani.  I think she intends to learn a little more about what could be happening without risking me overhearing, which is a smart move right now.”  He shuddered at the thought of a more elaborate explanation, and how many times the word ‘HYDRA’ might be used during it.  “It could be triggering for me.  She’s trying to prevent that.  I don’t want to ‘go back in time’ and hurt you again because I can’t tell what’s what.”

“Alright,” Tony relented.  “Hey Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“How long do you want me to stay with you?”  Before the sick man could answer they heard Danielle beginning to yell outside.  Both jerked their heads in the direction of the door.  “Hold that thought.  Damage control…”

“No, you better fucking explain to me how this could even happen in the first place!” the blonde demanded outside, eyes narrowed in rage and fists clenched tightly.  When Tony stepped out he shed his façade of peacemaker, now on the same page as Danielle.  Arms folded across his chest he stood next to her, both staring down the doctor expectantly.

“We’re not sure but our guess is that something ‘hooked’ onto you and was somehow transmitted to him.  Clearly he was targeted by HYDRA whereas they need you so whatever it was, they couldn’t risk harming you while also trying to harm him.  My guess is because you don’t have the actual serum in your blood, rather it’s a part of your genetic composition.  With your father it’s an alien substance that his body took to quite well, comparable to cosmetic surgery.  You could safely carry something since you don’t have an injection to unravel and then transmit it to him.  Similar to sex-linked genetic disorders that a mother can carry but not develop, only pass on to a son.  I would guess the substance to be airborne, probably how you contracted it and then transmitted it to your father.”  Danielle put up a hand to silence the doctor.  “Giles, this is all total speculation.  You said ‘guess’ three times.  Where are you pulling this from?”

“Took the words out of my mouth, minus the obscenities.  You forgot the obscenities.”

“I sincerely fucking apologize dad.”

“We don’t know how long HYDRA has been planning any of these attacks, and it would be difficult to keep it a secret that a high-profile person such as yourself was in Germany.  You might have been watched and followed while overseas and exposed to something that you then gave to your father when you came back and came in contact with him.  Obviously not what happened in the airport.  That was confirmed as anthrax.  There was nothing harmful or dangerous in your body.  But they are working in genetic engineering so it’s very possible that you-”  Dr. Giles was abruptly cut off by Danielle punching the wall, leaving a sizable hole.  Only hours after having just come to terms with the situation she was now being told that it was possibly, inadvertently, her fault.  Tony pulled her back and restrained her as best he could.

“Fuck, Danielle, now is **not** the time to lose your temper.  Go beat up punching bags at the tower or have hardcore angry sex.”  Shaking she replied, “But it’s my fault.  It’s my fault this happened.  You can’t undo the undoing, Giles.  All you can do is treat the individual symptoms like the muscular atrophy and respiratory problems.  Right?”

The doctor, who was no stranger to violent outbursts from S.H.I.E.L.D. members and affiliates replied calmly, “For now, yes, but whatever is causing this to happen to Steve is still in his body.  Otherwise this wouldn’t persist.  It would have to wear off at some point unless there was a constant exposure.  When we pinpoint it we reverse it, negate it, whatever needs to be done.  In the mean time we treat the symptoms but we’ll be looking for whatever is acting as the anti-SSS agent.”

“And his PTSD?” the mechanic added.  “That better not get swept under the rug.”  His words were half advisory, half threatening.

“Tony, you were here when he was admitted.  He already had a psychological evaluation done.  The tests have been assessed.  A treatment plan is already in the works.  And while his PTSD is volatile because of what PTSD is and does, this is more volatile because there are still a great deal of ‘ifs’, ‘maybes’, and-”

“Guesses,” the young adult finished, breaking out of her dad’s grasp.  “So what takes priority then?  I’m not leaving this damn place until you tell me how this goes down.”

“Day by day.  His treatment will always be in accordance with and a reflection of his needs.  We’re fighting two titanic health concerns at the same time but one does not take priority over the other.  It’s determined by how Steve is doing.  If his PTSD is more threatening to his well-being then psychiatric and psychological care will come first.  And if this becomes life-threatening, which is doesn’t seem to be, then physical health comes first.”

“Doesn’t seem to be?” Tony repeated exasperated.  “That serum is what slowed down his natural aging process.  If he becomes completely drained of it, all of those years in the ice are gonna catch up to him.  And that demon cold of his has already made it pretty clear that his immune system is shot.  If this was HYDRA’s plan, to make him this ill and take away everything the serum gave him, they’ll know where he is.  They’ll know he’s here.  They’ll know they’ve fractured the Avengers, the only group that can stop them.  I’m starting to think those intercepted messages were purposefully relayed with little security.  If Emma is running the show then that was intentional, her way of issuing a challenge or letting us know they’re after us.  Well, they’ve been doing a pretty damn good job so far!”  He motioned towards the closed door of Steve’s hospital room.

“I just want you to know that your theory is fucking stupid.  Like, really fucking stupid.  It could’ve been done by one of the HYDRA infiltrators.”  Danielle rubbed the back of her neck as her own theory began to become more and more concrete.  “Relying on me would be too risky, and if they needed something to take to the real serum there’s no guarantee I could transmit it to him.  He could’ve been exposed while here, while I was away in the event that me being exposed would’ve been harmful.  Did you guys come here at all when I was in Germany?”  She turned to her dad.  He nodded in confirmation.  “Yeah, when we were talking about Thor’s on-off scientist lady love setting up shop here.  Making plans for her office location and what not.”

“…who replaced Bobbi?”

“One of the other doctors here.  He was already in the process of transferring to the department for more hands-on forensic work, and when Agent Morse was temporarily removed as head biochemist he was given the position,” Dr. Giles replied.  She bit her lip and tapped her chin.  “If they wanted to weaken father like this they’d want to know where he is, and this is obviously the place he’d go.  One of the HYDRA infiltrators did it.  Probably someone Loki and I missed.  Never occurred to me to check any of the other departments aside from the field agents.  You know this other doctor well?”

“He’s been working with S.H.I.E.L.D. for years.”

“He was already transferring into that department.  Why was he chosen to replace Bobbi?” Tony asked slowly.

“Intelligence,” Dr. Giles said simply.  “He was highly qualified.”

“Highly qualified to replace a brilliant biochemist best known for her work in studying the Super Soldier Serum?  Dr. Giles, give me your communicator.  I need to talk to Fury.”  The blonde cocked her head to the side and turned to her dad.  “Someone’s about to take a trip up to Canada.”

* * *

 

“I hate doctors.  I hate doctors.  I officially hate doctors.”  The blonde groaned loudly and dropped her forehead against her steering wheel while she waited for the light to change.  “Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck,” she drawled in a strange noise reminiscent of a death rattle.  It didn’t take long for her to expose Bobbi’s chief replacement as another HYDRA plant, and Danielle’s thoughts kept floating back to the overwhelming desire to stay on Earth and do away with HYDRA herself.  She had to keep reminding herself that her family was capable (they were, after all, the Avengers) and Muspelheim would freeze over before anything happened to her father while in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s care.  She had to reserve her altruism and selflessness for the problems in Asgard, the realm she would soon call home.  She glanced up as the light turned green and huffed.  “Just when I thought I was all set to go…I hope word doesn’t get out about Captain America getting so ill.  That’ll warrant a public statement from the rest of the Avengers…Wait…WAIT.”  Her blue eyes widened.

On her drive home from the S.H.I.E.L.D. base Danielle had a most frustrating and daunting realization- the world would notice her disappearance.  Even though her time in the spotlight was brief no one knew she passed CEO the torch on to Pepper again; no one outside of her family and S.H.I.E.L.D. even knew she was leaving.  Her newly established “relationship” with Frost Enterprises only made matters worse.  She waited until she was home and after parking her car she pulled out her phone.  After two rings, generally a sign of Pepper being hard at work and unable to take the call right away Danielle groaned.  She had a sneaking suspicion that Pepper was busy, but not working.  A breathy voice answered the phone.

“Hey Dani,” Pepper greeted with a pant.  “Now isn’t a very good time-”

“God damn it Pepper, hang up and call her back later!” an angry Natasha shouted in the background, confirming Danielle’s suspicions.  “I’ll make it short and sweet.  I need a press conference scheduled tonight, as soon as possible, to explain why I’ll be off the radar.  People are gonna notice if I suddenly disappear.”

“Pepper, if you don’t hang up right now I will **break that phone**!”

“Just give me a min-, a minu-, Jesus Christ Natasha, I’m on the phone with Dani!  You can wait a minute or t-t-two!”  Peppers voice jumped an octave halfway through each sentence.  Wincing in disgust Danielle pulled the phone away from her ear.

“No, no I can’t.”  She heard a ruffling sound and then the angry voice of Natasha tell her, “Of all the people to commit coitus interuptus-”

“I’m not a sex psychic!” the blonde exclaimed.  “I said all I need to so-”

“Good.”  She abruptly hung up.  Danielle stared at her phone for a moment and muttered to herself, “Even I wouldn’t be that dedicated to being a CEO.  Priorities Pepper.  Fix ‘em.  Now I just need to concoct a decent story…Being engaged to Loki comes in really handy sometimes,” she chuckled after making her way through the obstacle course of a security system guarding her home.

“What did S.H.I.E.L.D. want from you this time?”  Loki was laying on Danielle’s couch, doing his best to mask the fact that he was still recovering from how they decided to celebrate her decision.  She hung up her jacket and sat next to him, and he lazily threw an arm over her lap.  “You make it sound like they exploit me on a regular basis.”  He raised an eyebrow at her.  “…well this time it was in my father’s interest, not theirs.  Found out why he’s gotten sick.  Remember how that thing Frost Enterprises is putting together grants powers based on people’s personalities?  And it’s an SSS knockoff?”  She had informed Loki on the situation before leaving to see her father the last time before leaving.  “Well since they have the original SSS recipe they know how to tweak it and weaken it.  There was a HYDRA plant that we missed because we only checked field agents; we didn’t scour the whole base.  Dude was a doctor and took over Bobbi’s position.  Long story short he had some kind of anti-SSS recipe handy and my father was exposed to it.  That’s why he got so sick, and the SSS is ‘depleting’.  Shit like this is making it harder and harder for me to stick to ‘Fuck it, they can handle this, it’s okay for me to go’.”  She tried to shrug it off.  “But in other news, I’m going to make news.”

“How so?”

“If I suddenly go off the grid someone’s gonna raise a brouhaha.  It won’t go unnoticed.  I’m…kind of a big deal.  Unfortunately.  I called Pepper and asked her to schedule a press conference for me tonight.  Which means I’ll have to dress formally,” she whined and stomped her feet like a toddler.  “Fuckin’ stupid appearance obligations and stupid stupidness…”

“Then is it safe to assume you still haven’t come to the realization that you’ll have to trade in your casual attire for formal wear when we leave?  And you’ll have to wear it _all the time_?”  He grinned when her eyes widened.  “Oh fuck,” she breathed.  “No.  No, no, no, no, no, no.  Not happening.  No way.  I already made it very clear that I won’t object if I can still wear my jeans damn it!”

“You can.  Under your dress.”

“No.  Not happening.”

“They come off more easily.  Thin fabric.”  He tugged suggestively at her thick sweatshirt to defend his argument.  She opened her mouth to protest but then paused in contemplation.  “OK, point, but using that argument against me of all things…that’s just not fair,” she griped, shooting him a glare.  His grin widened and he shrugged nonchalantly.  “I’m not fair.”

“No, no you most certainly are not.  But you are useful.”  She clapped her hands together, pressing her fingertips to her chin.  “I need to come up with a good story to explain why I’m going off the grid.  I was thinking the Southeast/East Asia excuse but that could be problematic for…Southeastern and Eastern Asia.”

“What’s the Southeast/East Asia excuse?”

“It’s when you say you’re giving up your luxurious lifestyle to go join a monastery or a shrine, or become a wandering ascetic.  But I don’t want the monasteries getting harassed because the creepy obsessive paparazzi are trying to find me.  That’s all I could think of ‘cause they’re remote locations.”

“You could fake your death.”  She quickly shook her head.  “Pepper is already scheduling the press conference, assuming she’s not still- I called her at a bad time, saying no more.  But if I take that route then my family will have to make a public statement.  Not to mention my fans will be devastated.”

“You relocated to the North Pole for research but never return.”

“They’ll look for the body.”

“You drowned.”

“They’ll search the waters.”

“You were presumably kidnapped by the Russian secret police during your time in the north.”

“Oh yeah, that’s exactly what I want people to think.  It’s not like that could instigate a war or anything…”

“Danielle, I know you’re important to this world but would that really cause a war?”

“Fricken’ Ragnarok was kicked off because of me!  I am very capable of instigating a war!”

“Fine, then you were eaten by a polar bear.”  She dropped her face into her palms.  “Useful, yes.  Helpful, no.”

“I can’t help it.  Your reactions are amusing.”

“Oh bullshit, you can help it, you just won’t because you’re too busy being a jackass.”

“Have fun formulating an excuse by yourself.”  She looked up and shook her head frantically.  “No, no, no, no, don’t, I need you to help me out here, you’re the resident expert –if not _the_ expert- on bullshitting!  Please, please, please!”  She folded her hands together.  “Please oh please Loki?” she begged in an adorable high-pitched whine.

“Do give yourself some more credit than that.  You’re intelligent, I’m sure you’ll come up with something **brilliant** ,” he mocked placing great emphasis on the last word.  “You don’t need to rely on me.”  She let out a deep sigh.  “Alright, I really didn’t wanna resort to this, but you’ve left me with no choice.”  Her lower lip began to quiver.  He tried his hardest not to laugh.  “You honestly expect that to work on me?”  Batting her eyelashes she nodded slowly.  “Yes I do,” she replied in a soft, pathetic whimper.  He snorted in amusement and shook his head.  “You’re notorious for being unreasonable sometimes but this is…this…”  She kept batting her eyelashes and lowered her head slightly, making a sniffling noise.  “This is the most…ridiculous…”  She stuck out her lower lip just a tad bit more.  “…ridiculous…Alright, you can stop now, I’ll come up with something,” he snapped as he sat up.  She put her hands over her mouth and gasped loudly.  “I didn’t think that would actually work on you!” she breathed.  “I had no idea you were **that** easy to manipulate!”

“Easy to manipulate?" he repeated somewhat defensively.  He was the manipulator, not the manipulated.  "Enjoy working by yourself- Enough with that face!”

“Did my dad tell you about how it’s all your doing too?  He told you that, right?  He did, didn’t he?  Please tell me he did,” she asked eagerly with a giddy grin.

“He did,” he replied through semi-grit teeth.  Danielle tried not to giggle.  “You have no idea how empowered I feel having this much influence over you.  I can’t believe the pout actually works on you…OK, anyway.”  She slid over so they were sitting side-by-side.  “I need something that’ll make sense, first and foremost.  Something that’ll fit the public image of Danielle Olivia Rogers-Stark.  Something that’ll explain why no one will see me again without making it sound like I’m actually disappearing for good.  Just no longer accessible to the general public, the masses.  My family is bound to get questions no matter what so it’ll have to be something that they can easily corroborate, accept, make the transition with.  Because of what’s going on with HYDRA there’s no way my dad can be CEO again so Pepper will have to take position, meaning she’ll be monitored at all times because of the new ‘relationship’ with Frost Enterprise.  Hopefully she can pick up from where I left off.  Being married to a super spy definitely helps.  She’ll need a new assistant.  Probably someone with S.H.I.E.L.D. connections, like a field agent.  So that’ll have to be worked in too, but without actually mentioning HYDRA or what’s happening with my father.  And it can’t sound permanent either.  Just potentially permanent since I will be moving to Asgard, but I’m gonna come back here to see my family when I can and I’m bound to be noticed then.  I won’t be living in New York though.  I’ll probably turn the house into an extension of the tower, an extension of the base.”

“One problem.”

“Yeah?”

“This new ‘relationship’ with a rival company…and then suddenly you’re vanishing?  They’re going to look into it.  Both the company and HYDRA if they need your insight for their genetic engineering project.  You did say you looked forward to working with them in the time to come.  Pepper will probably be thoroughly questioned.  You need to prevent putting her in that position.”

“Shit, you’re right.  OK, then spontaneous.  Something that came up that I have to respond to which could potentially require me to disappear from the general public, justifying giving my house to my family and sync it with the Avengers’ base of operations.  Something that just popped up requiring me to pack up and hit the road.”

“That sounds a lot like Ragnarok.”

“Well yeah, that’s exactly what Ragnarok is asking of me.  I just need something with the same parameters that’s plausible, that I can use to explain just up and leaving.  Perhaps it doesn’t have to be something urgent, perhaps it’s something I’m choosing…That might go over better.  Family wouldn’t have to answer as many questions that way.”

“That sounds like eloping.”  She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, fighting a smile.  “I need a **lie** to explain why I’m disappearing.  That’s why I hired you.  Then again…Avengers activity is spiking concurrently.  Wait…wait a minute!  That’s it.  That’s what I can do!  A PSA as a cover for no longer wanting to be in the limelight and available to the general public.”

“You aren’t thinking…?  Danielle, that won’t end well,” Loki insisted shaking his head.  With a casual roll of her eyes she replied, “Yeah, for Ruby, Emma, and HYDRA.  As long as I’m careful with my diction it’ll be fine.  Should I let the enemy know that I know they’re also the other enemy that they think I don’t know much about?”

“That’s a rather inarticulate way of saying Frost Enterprises and HYDRA are essentially one in the same.”

“It’s so refreshing to be around someone who understands me.  And my dad thinks their ‘poor security’ was intentional anyway.  HYDRA wanted us to find them, or to at least know they were active.  To become active, then for Frost Enterprises to suddenly approach me about genetic engineering…They might be hoping I figure it out.  And it would make sense seeing as Emma is running the show and she’s smarter than that.  If she wanted to be discreet she could.  Before I get started on that though…”  She dropped her arms into her lap.  “I think we should leave tomorrow.  I have nothing left to do.  I’ve gotten my closure.  All that’s left is a public statement and then I’m free from Earth.  Waiting even one more day will just make it even harder to leave.  For everyone.  Kinda like pulling off a bandage.  You’re supposed to yank those things off, not slowly and gradually peel ‘em.”  He eyed her carefully for a moment.  “You’re just impatient to start planning a wedding.”

“What?!” she exclaimed taken aback, her blue eyes wide.  “No!  That’s...not…the entire reason…maybe…Oh don’t act like you’re not excited too!”  She elbowed him playfully.  “Finally getting a wedding that you want and can look forward to.  Riiiiiiiight?”  She leaned towards him and he quickly looked away so she couldn’t see him blush.  “Well of course.  I _did_ propose after all,” he muttered matter-of-factly.  She scoffed.  “Out of obligation.  Would you have done it if Odin hadn’t made you?  Would ya?  Hmm?  Would ya?”  She kept leaning closer and closer.

“…be quiet,” he grumbled.

“I wouldn’tve waited for you to do it if you were taking your sweet ass time.  Would’ve done it myself.”  She hug tackled him from behind, almost knocking him down.  “‘Cause you’re mine and I love ya.”

“So I noticed.”  There was no longer a point in resisting a smile.  “You have the weirdest fricken’ ways of saying ‘I love you too’.”

* * *

**Outside Stark Industries**

“I’m here reporting live outside of Stark Industries where CEO Danielle Rogers-Stark is preparing to issue a public statement.”

“There’s no word on exactly what this press conference has been called for other than, well, Ms. Rogers-Stark has news to share.”

“Ms. Rogers-Stark has yet to arrive but, oh, wait, there she is coming now and it looks like she has her assistant and former CEO Ms. Virginia Potts with her.”

“Yes, I can see the vehicle approaching now and Danielle is stepping out.  It appears her assistant Ms. Potts is also with her.”

“No word on why this was scheduled, especially so impromptu at that, but this is Ms. Rogers-Stark’s first major public appearance since her highly publicized guest lecture at Empire State University two years ago before she became the CEO of her family’s company.”

Danielle smoothed out her blouse before stepping out of the company car and pulled up her collar to hide her hickies and bite marks.  “I got the OK from my family.  And Loki already helped me piece together what to say, and what to avoid saying.”  Pepper nodded and looked over her shoulder nervously as she stepped out.  On a rooftop to their left Natasha was watching, while Clint was positioned on their right.  Danielle and Pepper ignored the blinding flashes from the cameras and the rolling waves of chatter from the news anchors and journalists swarming them as they approached the podium.

“This will probably work to their advantage,” the strawberry blonde said as quietly as she possibly could while still being audible over the fuss they were navigating through.  “Covers all angles.”

“That was the idea.”  Danielle straightened out her clothes one last time before she stepped in front of the mic.  A heavy silence immediately fell over the media crowd, save for the clicking of cameras and humming of video cameras.   She took a few quick breaths as a gathered her thoughts, and then cleared her throat.

“To be honest folks this has very little to do with Stark Industries, it was just the most appropriate place to host this shindig.”  _Wow, you can really tell I haven’t been behind the cameras for quite some time…Whatever.  I don’t have to sound incredibly professional.  Just gotta get the message across._   “Additionally I don’t come before you as DIGITAL, a super hero of any sort, or a scholar.  I come before you as someone who has stumbled upon, to put it tamely, extremely startling information that I cannot keep to myself.  I come before you as a mouthpiece for the Avengers.  A new terrorist threat has surfaced, possibly located here in New York City but with connections worldwide, and it constitutes as a Neo Nazi organization.  After working with colleagues of mine –I call them family, you call them Avengers- we have come to the conclusion that this Neo Nazi group means to create the perfect human race just as Hitler did.  And like what happened to my father in World War II, they are developing a serum which will alter their physical form and capacities.  However this is not meant to create super soldiers, super heroes.  I believe it’s meant to create super humans, bringing the definition of the ‘perfect race’ to a whole new level.  We have strong reason to believe that they are specifically targeting individuals of German blood with blond hair and blue eyes to experiment on.  I want to assure you that the Avengers are very hard at work at finding out as much as they possibly can on this group and **will** put a permanent end to their activity.  But this is no simple skinhead rebel group.  Know that this organization is extremely dangerous, violent, and will target and attack indiscriminately while seeking out those they deem part of the ideal race.  As such I find it in my own best interest to go incognito until the Avengers have successfully neutralized the threat.  I will be stepping down as CEO of Stark Industries and turning the title back over to my predecessor Ms. Virginia Potts.  This is probably the last you’ll be seeing of me for some time so I’ll leave these as my parting words.  This is going to get much worse, as it has only just begun.  Just as a deadly winter hides behind every summer, this is the calm before the storm.”

 _Winter and summer?  Emma Frost and Ruby Summers.  I didn’t realize a thinly veiled metaphor was part of the arrangement._ Pepper did her best to hide her surprise at the young woman’s word choice.  She knew there was intention to scare HYDRA as it was unexpected for Danielle to go public about what they knew, but she wasn’t aware that she was going to call out their business rival on national television as a terrorist; she had just told Emma Frost that she and the Avengers were well aware of the connection between her company and HYDRA.  If it was Emma’s intention to get their attention addressing it like this was another way of saying ‘challenge accepted’.

“Any questions can be directed towards the Avengers as I will not be taking any.  Thank you for your time, and be safe New York.  I’ll miss you.”  As the journalist and newscasters began bombarding her with questions, she and Pepper fought their way through the crowd and back to the car.  She threw her head back and sighed deeply as the driver took off.  “Any word from HQ on what I said?”

Darcy shook her head.  “Not yet.  I’m guessing that means no complaints?”  The blonde shrugged.  “Don’t know, don’t care, I just wanna go home and sleep.  And cuddle.  And…do stuff that would put my dad to shame.  Not in that order of course.”  Pepper rolled her eyes and Darcy chuckled.  “Kid, you’re shameless.”

“Thank you again for agreeing to play assistant for me after Dani leaves.”  The brunette waved a hand dismissively.  “Don’t sweat it Pepper.  I can’t spend all my time on base, after all.  Jane seems to have most of her work under control right now.  I feel like I’m getting in the way.  Besides, I’m a pro with tasers.  Don’t want my skills to go to waste.  And I know you need to be kept under watch at all times with this Aryan targeting crap that HYDRA’s trying to pull.  If I’m just taking up space at the base I might as well be a field agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. so I can keep an eye on you.  But…your wife scares me.”  Pepper dropped her forehead into her hand and sighed.  “Honestly Natasha...Let me guess.  Something along the lines of ‘If any harm comes her way you’ll experience it a tenfold at my hands’.”

“Preeeeeeeeetty much.  Almost verbatim, actually.  That stereotype about lesbians being in sync is true after all…”  Pepper pulled out her phone and sent Danielle a quick text.

'This is what you're leaving me with?'

Trying her hardest not to laugh she replied 'It was Coulson's decision, not mine.  I don't trust S.H.I.E.L.D. as a whole but I trust him.  Could be worse.  She could ask if you're a U-Haul lesbian.'  After sending it she typed up another brief one.  'You totally are, aren't you?'

Pepper rolled her eyes.  'Grow up.'

'NEVER.'

* * *

**Asgardian Palace**

 

“Would I be correct in assuming that you had anticipated this?”

“I had, yes.  It was inevitable that Loki would choose Lady Danielle to be his queen.  I’m not surprised that she was the one who affirmed it.  I hope this means that they will take the news much easier, that the engagement established out of their own volition will act as a morale boost.  Especially in regards to what’s happening with Jotunnheim.  Their political structure is going to make protecting this realm very difficult considering who it is they're after.”

Vali and Narfi immediately tuned out Odin once he and Heimdall began discussing the politics of the other realms.  They eavesdropped for one reason and one reason alone- Heimdall had no incentive to leave the gates unless he had urgent news to share with Odin.  And considering that an entire Earth week had almost elapsed odds were high that the topic revolved around Loki and Danielle.  Narfi pointed in the direction of the healing rooms and the twins broke into a mad sprint.

“Hel, Hel, Hel!” Vali exclaimed as they burst into their older sister’s room.  She was almost back to full health now, mobility no longer inhibited by headaches and the deep lacerations closed and began scarring.  Her bright green eyes shot open and she sat up, glaring at them both.

“This had better be important,” she snarled.  “Just because I’m feeling better doesn’t mean I’ve suddenly developed a tolerance for screaming.”

“Well you better!” the younger twin replied gleefully.  “Heimdall is here.  And guess what he saw?  Guess.  Just guess!”

“No,” she replied monotone and lay back down.

“Lady Danielle and father are going to marry for certain after Ragnarok.”  Narfi folded his arms over his chest.  “We just thought you might like to know.”

“They what?!” she shouted frantically and sat back up, eyes wide as if in a panic.  “You’re sure?  Absolutely sure?”  They both nodded.  “And they’re coming back TODAY!” Vali added.  “I think she was growing impatient or something?  I don’t remember that part.” 

“Sounds like Lady Danielle.  So it’s actually happening.  Fenrir is going to be ecstatic.  He adores her.  I don’t know how Sleipnir will take the news.  And poor Jormungandr probably won’t know until the day of.”  She frowned.  “Narfi.  The face.  Why are you making that face?”

The older twin shrugged.  “I’m a little apprehensive to call someone else ‘mother’ after…after having to cope with the psychotic bitch formerly known as ‘mother’.”  She rolled her eyes.  “You don’t have to.  I doubt I’ll call her ‘mother’ often if ever.  I first met her when she was a little older than the two of you.  In human years obviously.”

“I’m excited to finally have someone I can honestly call mother,” Vali chirped.  “Oh Gods, I can’t wait to meet her.  I get to meet her TODAY.  And father’s coming back today too!  He doesn’t even know we’re alive again, or that you’re here with us Hel.  Ahhhhhhh!  This is all so exciting!  I can’t wait to surprise hi-!”  A pillow to the face interjected, courtesy of Hel's aim.  “What did I say about yelling?!  From what I hear she’s just as bad as you…No, **worse**.  She’s the perfect mother for you.  Now if you don’t mind I’d like to sleep.”

“Come on Vali, let’s go tell grandmother,” Narfi suggested and grabbed his hyper twin by the arm, pulling him out of the room.  Once they were gone and the door closed Hel summoned her book and flipped through it.  Though the future as a whole was uncertain, leaving most of the pages blank, Danielle’s actions were starting to determine certain deaths during Ragnarok; this was sensitive information the Goddess of the damned had no intention of sharing.  But it also made mention of one new face, yet to be conceived but would soon be born.  She stared at the picture with a blank expression, then slammed the book shut making it dematerialize.  She lay down and narrowed her eyes, clenching her pale fists tightly.

“I haven’t seen him in hundreds of years,” she whispered to herself.  “He doesn’t know me.  I don’t know him.  And now that I finally have the chance to change that, I’m going to be replaced.  All of us will be.  Fuck you Danielle.  You and your damned functional ovaries.  I can't let this relationship continue.  I'm sorry father but you'll need to find happiness elsewhere.”

* * *

**Danielle's Room  
**

 

_“So you’re getting married?  This future you’re carving out…I really shouldn’t say too much but hot diggity damn.  As if things weren’t messy enough.  I can’t say I’m surprised but I hope you realize things are much more dangerous now than they were before.  All because of why the other realms want to go to war with Asgard…”_

_“What does that have to do with my engagement?”_

_“Initially it was a rumor that caught their attention.  And it pissed everyone off for different reasons.  That in conjunction with the Cosmic Ash Tree falling apart…No one is a happy camper right now.”  
_

_“What can you tell me about this future?”  
_

_“Nothing.  Nothing I’m willing to share anyway.  Why ruin such a…’beautiful secret’?”  
_

“It still felt eerie even though I didn’t see anyone die…Just references to stuff happening in the future.  All because of Odin’s brilliant plan to get me up there.  They’re gonna love finding out the engagement’s the real deal now.  I wish I knew what the spirit meant when it said the future was a ‘beautiful secret’ though.  That little exchange was what stood out most.”  Danielle rolled onto her side and propped herself up with an elbow.  “Any ideas why it would piss ‘em off?  The other realms, I mean?”

“I can’t say for certain but Asgard’s future queen is a human.  I’m sure the Vanir are thrilled about the prospect.”  He glanced over at her and she grinned.  “Then they’re really gonna love when the crown prince or princess of Asgard is half-human.”  Loki’s eyes widened in shock and he turned over to face her.  She put a finger to his lips and shook her head.  “No, I’m not pregnant.  Just saying, when it happens…it’s gonna be a shit show.  And I’m gonna love every second of it.  Vanaheim is my new Frost Enterprises.”  Danielle yawned softly and dropped down onto the pillow, an arm outstretched.  In a matter of hours she would be leaving Earth for an unknown amount of time bringing with her nothing but her dry erase board, the clothes on her back, the DIGITAL pendant, the copy of _Demian_ Loki gave her for her birthday, and a picture of her entire family.  Sunlight began to stream in and the blonde looked over her shoulder, smiling softly.  “Yay pretty sunrise.”  She returned her attention to Loki.  “I’m too excited to go back to sleep.  What about you?”

“I’m mildly apathetic about returning.  I am, however, rather looking forward to returning with you.”  He took her hand and kissed the back of it, just above the ring.  “The sooner we return the sooner this damned war will end.”  She grinned broadly.  “And you accuse me of wanting to return just because of the wedding.”

“That’s not the only reason.  I’m curious as to what exactly will be required of you.”

“You wanna see your badass fiancée in action?  I think that can be arranged.  Though I gotta admit I am kinda nervous about the war itself.  I don’t know exactly how useful I’d be on the battlefield, if at all.  That’s gonna need to be established right away.  Because if I am needed out there, I’ll need to make sure DIGITAL is amped up and ready for action.”

“That Vanir are hardly a threat.  You said so yourself.”

“Hippies of the pantheon, I know.  They’re not the ones I’m worried about.  Ever since the nightmare with Angrboda…Jotunnheim is what’s freaking me out.  Not her specifically but…I dunno.  Still dunno what that dream meant, the ‘new blood’ thing, but it had something to do with Jotunnheim and- and I’m gonna shut up about it because the look on your face says I should shut up about it.  It’s gonna be a hot topic once we get up there ya know, since they’re one of the enemies of Asgard.”

“I know,” he sighed.  “After you told me about that nightmare I keep wondering about Angrboda.  If she still lives I’ll go to Jotunnheim myself and murder her.”  Danielle quickly shook her head.  “No, you shouldn’t.  You can’t even talk about the damned place without it still being a little triggering.  Going there?  And trying to find her?  It’d turn you into a hot mess.  I don’t wanna see you do that to yourself.”

“If what you saw was true then I demand retribution.”

“Which you totally deserve," she agreed.  "As do your kids.  But…can you blame me for worrying about you if you did that?”

“No.  But I know of no other way.”

“Well if she lives she might join the fray.  Kill her on the battlefield.  Fenrir can watch.  I think he’d enjoy that.  Anyway, I’m gonna start getting ready.  I know there isn’t a lot to do but there’s something I need to leave for my parents.”

“What might that be?”

“Just a poem I really like by one of the more prolific writers from the Romantic period.”

“…you would.”

“Oh come on!  “The Little Girl Found” by William Blake?  Highly fitting for the situation.  My way of reassuring them, and the others, not to worry about me the same way I’m not worrying about them.  Or trying not to at least.”  She sat up and stretched her arms. “This’ll be the last time I start off the morning with my awesome coffee full of cinnamon creamer.”

“Don’t forget the dress code,” he reminded and she smacked him with a pillow.  “Negotiations will be held.  Until I get my way, negotiations will be held,” she said sternly pointing a finger in his face.  “Jeans or bust.”  _It’s a good thing I took care of my laundry last night or I’d only have my formal wear left.  I think I’ll burn that shit._

“If that’s your ultimatum you won’t be wearing anything.  On second thought-”

“Go back to sleep.”

Shower.  Get dressed.  Coffee.  Write down the details of the dream.  Have the dry erase whisked away to Asgard.  Try to get Loki out of bed without getting pulled back in for a little while.  Fail at the aforementioned objective.  Clean up around the house.  More coffee.  Call Pepper and wish her the best with Frost Industries.  Order beef lo mein for the last time and have it for breakfast.  Make a bonfire out of all her formal attire.  Try getting Loki out of bed again.  Succeed after a very convincing non-verbal scolding.  Alter the security system to allow the Avengers, Pepper, and particular S.H.I.E.L.D. affiliates access to the building.  Leave the keys and spare set out for the others.  One by one Danielle checked off her to-do list.  When she was finally done she printed up a copy of “The Little Girl Found” and set it aside for her parents.

Hands on her hips, she stood in the middle of her living room and gave it once last look.  “I’m ready when you are.”

“You’re sure you don’t want to say goodbye?”  The blonde shook her head.  “Nah, it would almost be a repeat of the last time you and I had to separate.  Except with more people.  Rather not.  I’ve done all I need to do, and…Doing that makes it all seem so final.  It’s not like I’ll never see ‘em again.  My birthday is twenty-three days after all.  I’ll need to be back for that.”

“True.  If you’re ready then let’s leave for Asgard.  You might want to hold on tight.”  He held out his arm and she latched on to it, causing him to roll his eyes.  “Parasite…”

“The one and only.”  She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.  _Catch ya later Earth.  Try not to fall to shit in my absence.  I would like to come back, if that’s cool with you._   She felt a familiar weightlessness and then a strong pressure pulling her body upwards.  Seconds after she left the front door opened.

“Dani?  Still here?”  Tony took a look around and saw the place was empty.  He scratched the back of his head and exhaled slowly.  “Couldn’t handle the goodbyes I’m guessing.  Well, time to get J.A.R.V.I.S. up and running in here.”  He cut through the kitchen to go to the rather vacant basement, once designated to be Danielle’s personal lab, when he noticed the keys and the note addressed to him on the table.  He picked it up and slowly read it aloud.

“‘All the night in woe,

Lyca’s parents go:

Over valleys deep

While the deserts weep.

Tired and woe-begone,

Hoarse with making moan:

Arm in arm seven days.

They tracked the desert ways.

Seven nights they sleep,

Among shadows deep;

And dream they see their child

Starved in the desert wild.

Pale through pathless ways

The fancied image strays.

Famished, weeping, weak

With hollow piteous shriek

Rising from unrest,

The trembling woman pressed,

With feet of wear woe;

She could no further go.

In his arms he bore,

Her armed with sorrow sore:

Till before their way,

A couching lion lay.

Turning back was vain,

Soon his heavy mane.

Bore them to the ground;

Then he stalked around,

Smelling to his prey.

But their fears allay,

When he licks their hands:

And silent by them stands.

They look upon his eyes

Filled with deep surprise:

And wondering behold.

A spirit armed in gold.

On his head a crown

On his shoulders down,

Flowed his golden hair.

Gone was all their care.

‘Follow me’ he said,

‘Weep not for the maid;

In my palace deep,

Lyca lies asleep.’

Then they followed,

Where the vision led:

And saw their sleeping child,

Among tigers wild.

To this day they dwell

In a lonely dell

Nor fear the wolfish howl,

Nor the lions growl.’”

He stared at the paper for awhile and then smiled.  “This counts as a goodbye I guess.  At the very least a ‘don’t worry about me’.  As long as she comes back for her birthday, or she’s **beyond** grounded.”

* * *

**The Gate to Asgard**

When Danielle opened her eyes she was blinded by an uncomfortably familiar bright golden hue.  She suppressed a groan in annoyance as her eyes adjusted to the light and let go of Loki’s arm.  She blinked a few times and rubbed her sore eyes.

“Welcome back Lady Danielle,” the gatekeeper of Asgard greeted as he came into view.  “A pleasure to see you again.”

“Nice to be back…kinda.  Rather abrupt travel request but I made due.”

“An understatement,” Loki muttered under his breath earning him a warning look from Heimdall.  The gatekeeper turned to the prince.  “The Allfather has requested to speak with you immediately.”

“Me/Him?” Loki and Danielle asked surprised in unison, a single nod their only response.  “You’re certain he doesn’t want to see Danielle?”

“Yeah, me and him have unfinished business…”

“And the Allfather has new business to get out of the way before addressing your circumstance,” Heimdall replied.  “I suggest you locate him immediately.  It is rather urgent.”

“The nature being?” Loki asked raising an eyebrow.

“Political.”

“If he insists.”  Loki extended his hand towards Danielle.  “Ready?”

“No,” she laughed as she took it in hers.  “Ready to see Fenrir though.”  As they walked down the Bifrost Loki’s eyes lit up in realization.  “You do know that he’s free now, correct?”  She nodded.  “Yeah.”

“You might want to brace yourself,” he advised.  She looked at him slightly confused, then heard the thundering of enormous canine paws.  “I’m gonna get tackled, aren’t I?”

“Most likely.”

“Awesome,” she grinned, eagerly picking up the pace.  As soon as her feet touched Asgardian soil she was knocked to the ground, Fenrir towering over her panting heavily and wagging his tail gleefully. 

“I missed you so much you super duper huge cuddle machine!” she squealed and hugged his leg.  “Oh, shit, Fenrir, no, no licking, you’re done, I love you too, but you’re done!”  She wiped her face off with her sleeve and sat up, hands planted on the ground behind her, and Fenrir dropped down in front of her rolling around playfully.  She leaned forward and scratched underneath his chin.  “Told ya I’d come back.”  She looked over her shoulder and saw no one, much to her surprise, then heard the large golden doors at the palace entrance slam shut.  She sighed and continued scratching Fenrir.  “Political, huh?  Lemme guess…The other realms and Ragnarok and all that fun shit.  Boo.  We don’t wanna deal with that right now, do we?  No we don’t!  No we don’t!  We just wanna take a break and relax right?  Yes we do!  Yes we do!”  The doors opened again and she turned to see Thor standing there.

“Welcome home,” he greeted.  Danielle smiled brightly, gave Fenrir one last pat, and ran up to greet him.  “That’s ‘Welcome home future Queen of Asgard Danielle StevenandAnthonysdottir’ to you,” she joked.  “Not that I’m not happy to see you or anything, but when are you going back?  Things are getting messy down there.”

“I know.  I know not how exactly, but I know the war has been brought to Midgard.  We’ll address it later.  Come, I haven’t seen you in so long now.  Tell me what you’ve been up to in my absence.”

 _It’s only been a week…Oh, right, longer up here._ “Where to start?”  She tapped her chin as he opened the door and ushered her in.  “Well your brother is an awesome kisser.  Learned that recently.”

“…interesting…” he replied awkwardly, unsure of a more adequate response.  Danielle chuckled.  “Kicked ass in big business, but that’s to be expected.  I am a Stark after all.”  As Thor and Danielle walked and talked every guard they passed bowed.  Initially she thought they were showing respect to Thor until it dawned on her that they were showing it to her as well.  She wasn’t simply the future queen, but she was now in the realm she would someday be queen of.  They walked to Loki’s room, now hers as well and she dropped off what little she had brought with her and they continued on.

“My father is going to wish to speak to you soon.”  Danielle snorted.  “Nope.  Not happening.  Everything I know, everything about Ragnarok, it’s not ‘for his ears only’.  He’ll find out when you do and when everyone else does.  I wanted to bitch at him for taking advantage of our relationship but I don't care as much anymore.  Not since I made the decision to marry him, instead of going along with whatever Odin was hoping would happen if we just complied.  Assuming the engagement he ordered was even real.  I’m guessing word’s out now, right?  About the engagement being the real deal?”  Thor nodded.  “Yes, and I extend my congratulations to you both.  So you intend to present the information regarding Ragnarok at the upcoming council meeting?”

“Council meeting?”

“Ever since the trouble began my father created a council consisting of myself, Sif, Tyr, my mother, himself, and eventually you and Loki.”

“Any idea what he’s talking to Loki about now?” she asked, stuffing her hands in her pockets.  Thor shook his head.  “All I know is that it’s of a political nature.  But in a time such as this that says very little about the content.”

“Yeah, suppose so.  Are we going anywhere in particular or just meandering?”

“We can meander until my father wishes to have the council assemble.”  She put her hands behind her back.  “Actually I wanna go see the cube.  Do you know where Heimdall put my dry erase board?”

“It’s in the room that the council meets in.  Please do be mindful of the fact that council’s existence is secret,” he added in a hushed tone.  “Sif cannot even tell the Warriors Three.  Not yet, of course.”

“Waiting on me, right?”  Thor nodded.  “Figured.  So what does Asgard as a whole know?”

“Ragnarok is upon us.  We do not know what instigated it, and it’s very likely that nothing in particular did.  It was simply time for Yggdrasil to crumble.  We have…guests here, if you will, with more information regarding how it started.” 

“Really now?”  Though highly intrigued Danielle immediately stopped when her heightened senses caught a faint hint of an explosive argument somewhere else in the castle; the voices of the two involved parties were easily recognizable.  “Pause.  We’ll put that on pause.  Loki and Odin are at each other’s throats right now.”  Before Thor could inquire one of the guards came from behind and approached them.

“The Allfather is requesting your presence.”

“Party time?” she asked turning to Thor.  “If you wish to call it that, though I doubt you’ll enjoy yourself.”  As Thor led her to the room where Odin was holding the council meetings she whispered, “When you say ‘guests’…?”  He shook his head.  “Later.  This is priority.  It will come full circle soon enough.”

“If you say so…”

The room was reminiscent of a conference room Danielle would find herself in while at work.  There was a round table in the center and her dry erase board near the front of it.  The others were already there waiting for Thor and Danielle.  She sat next to Loki who was breathing heavily, arms folded across his chest, and the likes of his highly restrained rage unlike anything she had ever seen or even thought possible from him.

“Won’t ask.  Talk later?” she whispered, leaning towards him.  He said nothing, nor did he bother to spare a nod of confirmation.  She gulped.  _What in the ever loving fuck could they have been talking about?  The spirit said the engagement was only gonna make it worse…Crap.  Being here is going to drive him fucking insane.  Should probably kiss mildly-tempered Loki goodbye.  I was afraid of this happening...No, fuck it, he needs to learn to keep his temper in check while we're here.  I'm not gonna be the gentle soul expected to calm him down like Sigyn pretended to be.  He can do it himself.  He knew this was probably gonna happen to.  There's only so much I can do for him about it.  
_

After bringing Loki and Danielle up to speed on the moving mist Odin said very little other than what Loki had relayed to him from Danielle, presumably before the argument began.  Instead he moved very quickly into a topic which him even angrier.  Danielle moved her seat closer to him and slid an arm behind his back, rubbing slowly.

“There was no way of foreseeing Vanaheim and Jotunnheim’s reactions.  Both realms are using the chaos caused by Ragnarok as a cover for waging war on Asgard.  Their motivation stems from elsewhere, the same source.  The engagement.  When it was but a rumor the hostility began but now that it has been made official they are threatening to take action.”  Danielle immediately tensed up.

“The Vanir believe that I have no legitimate heir as the throne is not being passed on to a natural born Asgardian.”  She could tell that was Odin’s nice way of saying ‘being passed on to a frost giant’.  “In addition, the future queen is human.  They see Asgard as a land no longer a domain of the Gods, and wish to take it for themselves.  Jotunnheim is similar in that they take issue with the engagement but they bear no ill-will towards Asgard.  They believe that we have been keeping a political prisoner.  That said they also are highly concerned about their most treasured law being violated.  Jotunn are not allowed to lay with one of another race.  They are specifically targeting Lady Danielle.”

 _Good Gods, all this war really is my fault.  That’s just dandy…And Odin told everyone in the room that Loki and are having sex.  That’s awesome.  Really awesome.  Well done.  The look on Thor's face is priceless though._ “And you know this for a fact how exactly?”

“The same way Midgard was informed of Yggdrasil’s compromised state.  We are currently holding the informant as a prisoner, still unsure of what to do with him,” Odin replied.

"Is it the dimension-hopping rodent?" she asked and Odin nodded.  “Why haven’t we just ripped his head off?” Tyr asked aggressively.

“You're kidding right?" she challenged.  "He's probably told the other realms what they wanna hear to instigate this.  Odds are he knows more than what he's said.  We might be able to yank some more information out of him.  If he went around running his mouth off it’s safe to say he was hoping for this outcome.  If he wants a war, he’ll get a war, but I sure as shit hope he isn't cheering for anyone other than Asgard because if he is he'll be sorely disappointed.  As far as punitive measures go I personally think he should be skinned alive, flayed, and then doused in acid.”  She shrugged casually.  “But that’s just me.  I’m a little touchy regarding the whole ‘information getting to Midgard’ after what happened to my father.  If the tree was falling apart everyone was bound to react in some way or another, but pitting the realms against each other?  That didn’t need to happen.  How could a rotting cosmic ash tree cause that?  This was a deliberate attempt to cause a skirmish.  What about Muspelheim?”

“I doubt he would venture there but Heimdall has been watching the fire giants.  They have yet to give any indication of hostile intentions, which is in and of itself alarming,” the Allfather explained.

 _OK, I get why the engagement causing the conflict would piss Loki off_ , she thought to herself.  _But what in the fuck was the argument about?_ “What are the Vanir threatening to do?”

“I contacted the Vanir myself, and they threatened to take it by force ‘if need be’.  Those are the words of Freyr himself used in our written exchange.  He is also insisting I exercise better judgment ‘lest I be senile, or wish to be seen as such’.  They are refusing diplomatic negotiations and would rather invade.”

“The Vanir turning down a peace talk?” Sif scoffed.  “Perhaps Freyr’s the one losing his mind.  How exactly does Freyja plan to invade if her chariot is led by cats?  They’re overestimating themselves.  They are no threat.”

“And what of Jotunnheim?” Thor asked with irate eyes.  “What are they threatening to do?”

“Nothing to Asgard.  They only want Lady Danielle.”

“You mean they want me dead,” she corrected and noticed Loki clench his jaw out of the corner of her eye.  _Odin told him something else about Jotunnheim.  They think Loki is a political prisoner here, and that I need to be taken out of the picture because we’re engaged…That might explain why Angrboda tried to kill his kids.  Jotunn can’t sleep with a non-jotunn.  At the time she would’ve thought them to be half-blooded.  That could be it…But that wouldn’t send him over the edge.  Not like this.  Is it because of me?  Being in danger?  No, I don’t think that’s it either.  He knows me well enough.  I can kick ass when need be and I have all of Asgard to back me up or watch over me.  This isn’t about Asgard or something here.  This is about Jotunnheim._ _What a fun conversation that's gonna be!_

* * *

**Loki and Danielle’s Room**

 

“Alright, what’s going on?”  The blonde demanded as she quietly closed the door behind her.  Loki’s countenance hadn’t changed since the council meeting began.  She sat on the bed and watched him approach the balcony.  “Loki?”

“Are you aware that Jotunnheim has an extremely patriarchal society?” he began, staring at nothing in particular.  “Um, no, I wasn’t aware,” she replied quietly.

“Nor was I until earlier.  Jotunnheim has never had a queen before.  In fact, they don’t have one now.  They have no legitimate monarch.  Inheritance is strictly biological.  They have a ‘stand in’, and have for almost thirty Midgardian years.  Women aren’t allowed to carry a royal title.  But that tradition was broken.”

“Almost thirty Midgardian years?  Since Laufey died,” she deduced.

“And do you want to know who that ‘stand in’ just so happens to be?” he asked through grit teeth.

 _Don’t tell me._ “Well when ya ask like that…”

He hesitated and then looked over his shoulder at her.  For a brief moment Danielle was reminded of the Loki that scared her as a child after seeing the look on his face and hearing the tone of his voice.  “Angrboda.”

“What?!” she exclaimed.  “Holy fuck...Oh my fucking Gods.  Odin told you that earlier?  That was what he wanted to talk to you about?”

“Correct.”

“You better not be thinking what I think you’re thinking.  I already told you going over is a bad idea.”

“He also said he hoped to go there and settle this amongst themselves, diplomatically, before things are blown out of proportion.  I see no point to the tarriance, and yet he’s still here.”  He shook his head and stormed towards the door.  “I’m going myself.”  Danielle immediately rose and backed up against the door and folded her arms over her chest, standing in his way.  “You sure about that?” she asked warningly.

“Danielle, move.  Now is not-”

“A time for you to let your frustration get the better of you,” she interrupted.  “If it’s because of the engagement I highly doubt you’ll get anything out of her.”

“And Odin will?  If your nightmare was accurate, which it seems to be because of their obsession with pure bloodlines she framed him for the attempted murder of two of my children, attempts which she herself committed, and is the reason Fenrir had to be chained up.”

“I’m aware of that Loki.  Is…”  _There’s no easy way of putting this._   “Is the engagement the only ‘dirty little secret’ that’s gotten out?  When he said they believe he’s keeping a political prisoner I’m guessing he was referring to you.  That would be a little extreme to say about just anyone.  They probably know who you are.”  _Day one in Asgard and already we’re back on the topic of Jotunnheim and Laufey and all that wonderful nonsense._

“That spread like an airborne contagion almost immediately before New York, after I was presumed dead.  All the realms know.  The Olympians probably know.  Why?”  He narrowed his eyes at her curiously.  “What do you think is really going on?”

“You said they don’t have queens, but somehow the woman you had an affair with is kinda sorta on the throne.  _After_ Laufey died, and word got out that you’re adopted.  Maybe it’s like Sigyn all over again.  Maybe she thinks she can go through you to gain some political power courtesy of your history with her.”

“How would that-?”

“Because Laufey was your biological father, that’s how.”  His face twisted in anger at the reminder but she stood her ground.  “Since he died no one has officially taken the throne, right?”  She put her forehead in her hand.  “I know you’re already pissed as is and what I’m about to say, you’re not gonna like it.  But just hear me out.  Odin said you were left to die when he found you but doesn’t it almost sound as if it’s being…reserved?  The throne, I mean.  Succession is determined biologically.  They knew that Laufey had an heir.  I’m pretty sure Jotunnheim could put the pieces together considering Odin doesn’t make a regular habit of going there; after the war he hadn’t gone back again until Thor’s at-the-time reckless ass decided it would be an awesome idea to storm over there.  Maybe Odin got it wrong.  Didn’t he say he found you in a temple?  That doesn’t sound like a place where someone is left to die except in the case of a sacrifice or something.  If a king really wanted to do away with an unwanted son –since the only real point of having a son is to have a someone to carry on the 'family name', especially in a patriarchy- he wouldn’t wait.  He would’ve killed you himself.  I think you weren’t left to die.  And if bloodlines are so important then I doubt it went unnoticed that the king’s infant son was gone.  Everyone probably assumed that you died amidst all the carnage, but then suddenly the youngest prince of Asgard –supposedly born right after the war with Jotunnheim- happens to be a frost giant.  Someone had to hold the throne until they figured out what to do.  I think Angrboda did the math, knows about the connection between you and Laufey, and she’s holding the throne now because…she found ‘Jotunnheim’s long lost prince’, I don’t know.  Jotunnheim has been in shambles since that war ended and assuming no one knows you killed Laufey, she might be holding it for you because she thinks it’s yours.  All of Jotunnheim thinks it’s yours now that everyone knows you’re a jotunn, and the former king’s biological son.  What else could they mean when they Asgard is holding a political prisoner?  It sounds to me like they think Asgard is holding the rightful king of Jotunnheim here.  I could be totally wrong, I know, but…That just never made sense to me.  The ‘left to die’ thing.  In a temple no less.  I can tell by the look on your face that you’re just THRILLED by my theory.  I highly doubt you’ll like everything ya find out there any more than what you heard just now.”

For a split second Loki was so consumed by rage he was ready to kill the first person in sight.  Had it not been Danielle he was speaking with Loki probably would’ve struck her down right then and there.  Knowing Angrboda lived and ruled Jotunnheim was bad enough; Danielle being right in this instance was even worse.  The only time his heritage worked to his advantage was when he froze Sigyn, though it was only an illusion in the end.  He tried his hardest to separate himself from Jotunnheim and anything to do with it.  Knowing that there was likely a throne waiting for him there made that seem on the verge of impossible.  She saw the tense muscles loosen as he grew quiet.  All signs of anger he had been showing faded to the point of numbness.

“If that’s the case…perhaps Odin is going to get his wish after all.  I simply need to come bearing an offer of peace.  Not exactly my strong suit,” he muttered with great relent.  “You have a curious talent for conjuring up and presenting uncomfortably accurate theories about me, did you know that?”  There was the tiniest hint of mirth in his voice and Danielle’s heart almost skipped a beat in relief.  She had no idea what to expect from him after her rant, except that it would be a negative reaction, and so she gladly welcomed even the smallest fraction of amused sarcasm.  She cracked a tiny grin and shrugged.  “Sorry?  No, not really.  Someone has to play that part.  And seeing as I’m so unapologetic and shameless and mouthy I don’t think anyone’s more qualified than yours truly.  It’s also part of my job being, ya know, your…fiancée.”  Her heart fluttered again and a warmth began to rise in her cheeks.  Saying it aloud still felt foreign on her tongue.  She licked her lips nervously and put her hands on her hips.  “Don’t go.  Please don’t go.  You’re not doing yourself any favors in going.  You’ll just get more frustrated.  That bitch is going down, that’s for damn sure, but if you go over there with the intention of interrogating her…”  _Please don’t flip your shit at the comparison._ “Explain to me how that’s different than what Thor did.  What led to his banishment.”

“What Thor did was in his own selfish interest.  He was protecting his precious title.  That’s not my intention.”

“Oh for the love of…Don’t tell me.  You’re doing it to protect me?  Please tell me that’s not the reason.  You know I can take care of myself.”

“I’m well aware of that.  But you.”  He cupped her cheeks.  “You are the most important thing in my life.  It’s instinct, it’s impulse.  It’s…because I love you.  If she dares to come **anywhere** near you I’ll throw her off the Bifrost myself so she can suffer what Hel had to endure.”

 _The stress is causing him to get a little possessive it seems.  Great._ “Will you just listen to-!...Hold on.  Thor mentioned something about ‘guests’ being here.  If the mists are coming up from Niflheim, that would put Hel in danger, wouldn’t it?  Do you think she might be here?  Only one way to find out.”  She held out her pinkie.  “I’m not letting you pass until you promise me you won’t go to Jotunnheim.  Not just to try and interrogate Angrboda, but that you won’t go period.  Unless something arises which requires you to go.  Something not determined by losing your temper.”  She looked at him expectantly, firmly staring down his apprehensive form.  “And so help me, if you do-”  She was quickly silenced by his version of confirming he would adhere to her request, sealing the promise with a kiss.

“I won’t go.  I promise you that I won’t go to Jotunnheim.”  She studied his face intently.  “Not lying.  And you aren’t going to attempt to find or successfully find a loophole?”

“I won’t.”

“Still not lying.  Good.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“Of course I do, you know I do.”  She rested her palms on his chest and his hands fell to her shoulders.  “But I also know that you can be a little impulsive and extremely passive-aggressive, and I don’t wanna see you get fucked over because of a slapdash decision.  And using people’s words against them is kind of a habit of yours, and if there’s one thing I’ve come to notice about you it’s that you’re very much a creature of habit.  I know it’s asking a lot but just try and set it aside for now, and go see if I’m right about Hel.  I saw her eight years ago but you haven’t seen her in hundreds of years.  If I were in your shoes I’d be desperate for a family reunion.”

“Have I been granted permission to leave?”

“…since when do you wait to get permission from me?  I’m really surprised you didn’t just teleport-…Or you can just teleport in the middle of my sentence.  That's cool.  While he’s spending time with Hel I should probably hunt down Thor before he leaves.”  She twirled the DIGITAL pendant.  “I need a favor from him…”


	11. What We're Fighting For, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, can anyone figure out where the names 'Katherine' and 'Wyatt' came from? :)
> 
> LOKI GETS REALLY SASSY IN THIS CHAPTER. It was fun to write :) While doing it I imagined him acting like the way he did in Thor after Thor came back and he put his hand on his heart and said "It's good to have you back. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm have to destroy Jotunnheim." The face, the sarcasm, the body language. Have that in mind when reading his part.
> 
> Btw, feels alert. Feels all around. And Dani shows her dark side. Malicious dark side. You don't fuck with Dani's family. Especially not her (soon to be) kids.
> 
> This chapter bounces back and forth between Dani and Earth, hence the length. It establishes everything that's going on in both places now that she's left. From now on it'll be more like a rotation instead of trying to jampack everything into one chapter. Just remember these events are taking place at the same time!
> 
> I finished most of this pretty early in the morning so it might not be in prime condition (typing properly when sleepy is hard...). I plan on reviewing it to see what needs to be polished; right now I'm just glad it's done! I did edit and revise multiple times but I still feel like something's missing or just off. I think I'll leave it up to you guys though :)

**Hel’s Room**

She bore no resemblance to Angrboda whatsoever.  Hel had his hair, his eyes, even his facial features.  The lower half of her body aside, which she told Loki was the result of hitting the grounds of Niflheim as a living being and not a soul sentenced to damnation, she looked exactly like him.  She told him of how, despite being so young at the time she commissioned two damned souls to be her handmaid and male servant.  She told him of how she knew she would not survive a realm overrun by what were essentially demonic beings, the embodiment of their corruption, without taking initiative to establish a hierarchy.  She was young, she was scared, but she was determined to survive in this barren and gloomy wasteland, the post-apocalyptic tundra she was forced to call home.  In gradually taking command over the realm she created a citadel within it colloquially known as Helheim and used it to keep the damned from wandering, not wanting to run the risk of allowing them to cause chaos in an already chaotic world.  She used her authority to have the soldiers unworthy of Valhalla teach her to fight and she became highly proficient with swords of all types.  The claymore, the khopesh, the gladius, the masumune, and of course the Viking thurmesh; so long as it had hilt to grip and a deadly blade  Hel could wield it.  She had a collection in Helheim near her throne, the macabre nature of which she described with great pride as she built the stairway herself from corpses of those not given a proper funeral.  Not only had she outdone her father in making herself a monarch she built her kingdom from the ground up, and Loki was overwhelmed with pride (and a slight hint of jealousy he hid quite well).

Because of her improved condition Hel had been given her own room.  She still spent most of her time resting, not having to worry about bedsores considering how the realm she has control over has made her body immune to lesser pain.  As they talked she sat up and Loki stood at her bedside, still in disbelief that he was not only seeing but conversing with a daughter he hadn’t seen in over a thousand years.

“And…what of Sigyn?” he asked, delighted by the devilish grin on Hel’s face.  “Now that the souls of the damned are traveling up Yggdrasil as we speak, led by Nidhogg of all things, she is no doubt amongst them.  But when this is over and I have my kingdom again I’ll reinstate her original punishment.”

“Which was?” he inquired eagerly.

“I don’t think I should be the one to tell you…Remember father, it’s not only the damned that come to me.  Those who die of illness like Lady Danielle have come to me.  Honestly, anyone who doesn’t go to Valhalla or Freyja’s realm for the blessed deceased come to me.”  She narrowed her eyes and added monotone, “Courtesy of Sigyn I’ve been babysitting since the day she killed them.  I love them to death, pun not intended, but…You’re the youngest of how many?  You know from personal experience just how annoying younger siblings can be, being one yourself.  Fear not, I made sure they didn’t become part of that stupid dragon’s army.  In fact Fenrir dug up their bones and grandmother used her magic to reanimate them, the same magic she had on Lady Danielle to preserve her body.  And Vali WILL NOT shut up about how excited he is to have a mother-”

“Did I hear you say mother?!”  Vali burst into Hel’s room, eyes wide with excitement.  She raised an eyebrow at him.  “See what I mean?  Thank you for knocking.  And eavesdropping!”

“Is she here?  Where is she?!”  Hel pointed at Loki.  “Obviously she’s here.  I have no idea where because I’m not her keeper.  For Odin’s sake Vali are you blind?!  Are you really so excited about meeting your future mother that you’re going to ignore-?!”  Hel immediately stopped talking when Vali hug tackled Loki, almost knocking him over.  For a brief moment Loki thought he was hallucinating.  Hel sighed and folded her arms over her chest.  “Narfi, I know you’re out there,” she scolded.  “You’ve spent all day eavesdropping on people…At least you had the courtesy to wait until granted permission to enter.”  Vali made an obnoxious face at Hel who responded with glare while Narfi stepped in. 

Not only had they been reunited but they were alive again, and as he slowly came down from the shock Loki was relieved to know that had been in the care of their older sister all along, as he had suspected.  _It’s rather funny, in a twisted  sort of way,_ he thought to himself as he embraced the twins.  _If not for this impending disaster I wouldn’t have the chance to see them again.  A disaster I am involved in because the Tesseract chose Danielle after having been kidnapped, tortured, and killed.  Whose birth, in turn, was due to the aftermath of her home planet almost being subjugated.  Also the very reason I met her.  And Sigyn’s narcissism is how I was able to keep her.  Chaos always seems to create something wondrous_.

“Tell me all about her!” Vali demanded wide eyed and smiling.  “What’s her favorite color?  Is she a natural blonde?  If she were stranded in a remote location with no hope of returning to civilization and she could only have one material object with her what would it be?  How tall is she?  Is she ticklish?”  Hel did her best to hide a scowl.  _Those two are so ignorant of what that woman is going to do to this family.  My disdain for her only continues to grow.  Had I known this would happen she never would’ve been allowed to leave my domain!  I must terminate their relationship as soon as possible.  And her body is still running on Midgardian time too…It won’t be long now unless I do something._

“Would you two mind if I spoke with father privately for a little while?  I promise it won’t be long.”

* * *

**Outside the Palace Entrance**

 

“Thanks again Thor.”

“You’re welcome.  Be careful.  It’s still very warm.”  Danielle rolled her eyes and held out her hands, palms facing upward.  After Thor dropped the DIGITAL 17 pendant into her hands she squeaked in pain, covering them with her sleeves and craddling it with the weak protection of the fabric.  “OK, yeah, ow.  Situations like this are why I keep Loki around,” she joked.  “Give everyone else my best, tell ‘em I love ‘em all, and that I’m doing just fine.  My father and HYDRA are priority right now.  I can take of myself and when shit inevitably gets out of hand…That’s just one more reason to keep Loki around.”  He laughed and nodded.  “I will.  Good luck with all that is to come.”

“I don’t need luck.  I’ve got moxie.”

“And how often has that shamelessness and audacity gotten you into trouble?”

“…don’t you have another realm to go?  Oh, and good luck working things out with Jane.  I didn’t really get to know her in the time I had left but I met her, talked with her once or twice.  She’s got my approval.”

“I’m glad the future queen of Asgard has bestowed the privilege of her approval on us,” he chuckled before ruffling her hair.  She playfully glared at him as she put the necklace on, now cool enough to make contact with her bare flesh and fixed her hair.  “You better be off now.  Take care of my planet or I’ll kick your ass.”

“I would tell you the same but considering where Loki’s loyalty lies I think that would be ill-advised.”

“Like I need him to fight my battles for me.”

“You know he would intervene regardless.”

“Yeah, he certainly would.  Remind me again why I keep him around?”  She gave him a parting hug.  “You fucks those guys up in my absence, got it?”

“The same to you.  I will see you again when this is over.”

“Naturally.  My birthday is close after all.”

“I was referring to the wedding.”  Her eyes lit up.  “Oh, right!  That’s a thing.  That’s gonna happen.  Ya know what?  This might sound weird, perhaps even aloof, but I’ve just gotten so used to the feeling of having been together for so long that a wedding ceremony…It won’t mean much.  Symbolic.  Purely symbolic.  Granted if I want to be his queen and not his concubine it’s protocol, but you get what I mean.”

“Yes, I think understand.”

“That’s not to say I’m not excited!” she squealed, cheeks bright red and grinning broadly.  “Alright, I shouldn’t keep you much longer.  Until then.  Whenever that happens to be.”

“Until then.  There is one final thing I must say before I leave.”

“What’s that?”

“Having seen you grow up and all you have accomplished in your almost twenty-five years, I am proud of you.  When the time comes you will make for a fine queen.”  She stuck her finger in her mouth and faked a gag.  “Any more of that sappy crappy nonsense and I’m gonna hurl.”

“But you obviously have a lot more maturing to undergo,” he quickly added before descending the stairs that led to the palace entrance.  She smiled and stuck up her middle finger, then waved farewell.  As she turned to go back inside the doors burst open and she almost literally ran into Sif, who was on her way to see him off.

“I’m sorry Lady Danielle,” she quickly apologized.  “I was in such a hurry-”

“Relax, it’s not a big deal.  Well?  Get going before he’s on the Bifrost.”  The warrior Goddess ran past her and Danielle’s eyes carefully followed her.  Using the sound of the closing doors as her cover, she slid behind one of the large golden pillars and listened.

“I don’t mean to keep you Thor, but are you sure you want to do this?”

“Sif, Earth is where I belong.”

“But the frost giants, the fire giants, the Vanir, they aren’t going to invade Earth.  They’re going to invade Asgard.  Perhaps collaboratively.  We need a warrior such as yourself to stay here.” Danielle peered around the corner and gasped quietly when she saw Sif run her hand down his arm.  “I need you to stay here.”

“You have Danielle now.  She is a fine warrior.”

“But she isn’t you.”  She took a deep breath.  “If the woman is your primary motivation for returning then you’re making a foolish mistake.  For years your, your…I can’t even call it a relationship because of how turbulent it has been.  And you want to go back to that?”

“I wish to reconcile with Jane, for good.”

“And if you don’t?  If you can’t?”

“I will remain on Earth.  That is where my comrades are.”

She scoffed.  “Comrades?  And what does that make Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral?  What does that make me?  Are we being discarded and replaced?”

 _She’s trying to make him pick.  It’s like Bobbi and Uncle Clint all over again_ , the blonde thought to herself as she continued watching.  Thor shook his head.  “Of course not.  The four of you are irreplaceable.”

“But we are still being discarded,” she argued, folding her arms over her chest.  “What would your ‘comrades’ do if any harm fell upon their daughter while she is here?  Fighting in a war she’s caught in the middle of because of your father’s own plans?  What would they do?  Would they still trust you?  Would they interfere with her being betrothed to a brother you have made amends with?”  She paused.  “Do you love her?”

Thor wanted to say yes.  He wanted to say that he did with all his heart.  But he hesitated, unsure of his own feelings which completely guard him off guard.  “I want to,” he replied carefully.  “I want it work out in the end.”

“And if it doesn’t?  Will you wait there until you happen upon another mortal woman?”  Danielle covered her mouth, eyes wide in shock when she saw Sif lean forward and kiss him.  This was no simple affectionate peck; this was the same sort of kiss she had attacked Loki with after having not seen him for eight years.  Sif had been restraining herself from doing this for a long time but she couldn’t hold back any longer.  When their lips parted she asked, “Or will you return to the Goddess waiting for you here?”

Stunned, speechless, and all things synonymous couldn’t accurately describe the look on Thor’s face.  Danielle waited with bated breath to hear his response.

“I…I don’t want you to feel as if you’re a backup plan,” he replied.

“I won’t.  If the first plan doesn’t work, then the second is an improvement.  Otherwise there would be no other resort.”  She hid a triumphant smile, having finally made Thor admit that he saw a degree of potential for them.  He didn’t back away or protest when she kissed him, and he hadn’t refused her.  He spoke of wanting things to work with Jane but not once had he said he didn’t want anything with Sif.

“…I suppose…there is no harm in considering the possibility…seeing as there is no guarantee with Jane…” he said slowly, not having considered the idea until Sif brought it to his attention; it was highly possible that he had been aware and actively denying it.

“Holy shit,” Danielle breathed.  “If he does that Sif and the offer will be on his mind the entire time.  He won’t be able to focus on making things work with Jane.  She’s totally sabotaging it.  That little- Oh shit here she comes!  They already think I went back in when the doors closed…Fuckity fuck, excuse, need excuse…”  She looked down and grinned.  “Target in sight.”  She quickly sat down on the other side of the pillar facing the massive abyss below, marveling at the sight and listening carefully as Sif ascended the stairs.

“You’re still here?” she asked in surprise when she noticed the outstretched hand resting on the steps.  Her tone had been laced with nervousness, fearing Danielle may have overheard them.  Danielle pretended to look equally surprised, startled a little, as she looked around the corner.  “Hm?  Oh, yeah, I got distracted by the view.  It’s so weird…I’m used to having to look up to see the stars but now I have to look down.  I’m literally at the top of the universe.  It’s awesome actually being able to see them, how they’re sprinkled about everywhere.  Back home there’s so much light pollution all over the damn planet it’s hard to see them at night.”

“Light pollution?” Sif asked slightly confused as the gate to Asgard began to whirl about and aim towards Earth.  Danielle turned so her side was leaning against the pillar and she pulled her legs up to her chest.  “There are sources of artificial light everywhere.  Necessary for some reasons, like being able to navigate safely at night in the common Midgardian methods of transportation.  But places like New York, large cities that are popular with tourists and very wealthy, have tall buildings everywhere that are always lit up and covered with enormous signs that also light up called billboards.  They span for miles on end hung up on the sides of buildings so not only do they stretch out for miles and miles, but they go upwards too because the buildings are so tall.  So the stars aren’t visible because there’s already so much light around you that it gets…blocked out, you could say.  You’re kinda blinded in a sense, only able to see all the light around you but nothing beyond that.  Like when Thor summons lightning.  All you can see is the lightning.”  Sif nodded slowly in understanding.  “Having only been to Earth once, a very small village at that, I never saw such things.”

The blonde tried not to laugh when Sif called the small New Mexico town a ‘village’.  “Where you were, had you been at night, you would’ve been able to see the stars.  I really love watching sunrises and sunsets, and natural phenomena in general I guess.  I still remember the first time I saw the reflection of Muspelheim’s flames up here.”

“When was this?”

 _When I was sixteen and alone with Loki in his bedroom in the middle of the night._   “Last time I was up here.  Was having trouble sleeping so I was watching the night sky and I saw the scarlet and crimson and vermillion hues.  Loki explained to me what it was when I asked him later.”  _And that is exactly how it happened, minus the fact that he explained it to me when I was sixteen and alone with him in his bedroom in the middle of the night._   “Do you know where he is right now by chance?  Did you see him at all on your way here?”

“Still with his children.  We wanted to surprise him.  It was very hard keeping the youngest hidden away and quiet.”  Sif cracked a small smile.  “He’s really looking forward to meeting you.  Very excited about finally having a real mother, that one.  Out of all six Hel and Fenrir are the only ones you’ve met, aren’t they?”

Danielle shook her head.  “I went to school in Iceland and found Jormungandr’s hiding spot near Mjóifjörður.  Hardly a surprise I went to Iceland,” she said eliciting an amused chuckle from the warrior Goddess.  “It was on the opposite side of the country from where I was studying so I had to be very discrete about going there.  Mjóifjörður is thought to be the smallest village in all of Iceland, which was such a culture shock for me, someone who’s always lived in and traveled to big cities.  There were rumors going around that some people who worked in the lighthouse there saw something large moving in the water at night.  And when I finally went to Iceland I went out on the coast in the middle of the night, careful not to get to close to where the lighthouse was shining, and I saw him swimming around.  Rather the movements on the water’s surface.  I brought some spare clothes with me and went out into the water and there I was, swimming maybe ten miles off the coast and I could feel him moving beneath me.  Not just the water moving but I actually felt his skin.  And then there was this bubbling and this big wave came out of nowhere.  I used the DIGITAL 13 suit to get out of there so I didn’t get taken under and as I rose he did too.  I was floating midair face-to-face with the Midgard Serpent.  He did nothing, just stared at me like he was waiting for me to try and capture him as I’m guessing many have tried –and failed at- in the past.  I opened up the faceplate and started talking to him.  Even at night all the way out there away from the coast I could still see how vibrant his eyes were.  Same color as Loki’s.  And just like Fenrir he understood everything I was saying.  Though serpentine creatures can’t move their mouths to make facial expressions the way we can there were a few times where I **swear** to Odin he was smiling.  Like when I told him about what happened at Loki’s assessment trial and how I barged him and, well, you were there.  I told him about how I saved his dad’s life and he started to swish his tail around the same way Fenrir wags his when he’s excited.”  Danielle made a serpentine movement with her hand to demonstrate.  “That was the best part of being over there.  Long story short Vali, Narfi, and Sleipnir are the ones I haven’t met.”

“That will change soon enough.  Vali is going to hunt you down as soon as he has the chance.”

“And Hel is okay now?  Okay-ish?  I saw Garm myself when I died, at least his creepy glowing eyes and DAMN did he look big.  I can’t imagine what it was like taking on Nidhogg though, and then all those souls suddenly becoming his drones.  How far up Yggdrasil is he?”

“He moves with the mist, which moves more slowly as it progresses up the tree because the change in the movement of time.”

“Why does he move with the mist?  Is it controlling him?”

“That’s for you to uncover, if I understand your connection with the Tesseract correctly.”  Danielle rolled her eyes and stood up, stretching her arms.  “I still don’t fully understand my connection with it.  It’s such a jackass…Odin talked about all those nightmares, remember?  That thing just loves taunting me with them.  We could discuss what they might mean but I could rant for hours about it.”  She shook her head.  “Stupid thing.  I should probably head back in.  Odin will no doubt want me for something or another soon enough.”

Seconds after Danielle finished her sentence one of the guards came out and told her that the Allfather had requested her presence.

“Totally called it,” she said with a shake of her head.  “Let’s get this over with…I anticipate a lecture over my ‘behavior’ at the trial and how that’s not a proper Asgardian lady should act, especially a queen or queen-to-be.”

* * *

**Asgardian Dungeon**

 

“So why are we down here exactly?” Danielle asked as she shivered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to generate warmth.  Odin turned to her as they continued to walk down a long corridor.  Hardly to her surprise even the dungeons of Asgard were decorated and pristine looking just like the rest of the palace, perhaps to taunt those inside.  The cells were large with glass walls like cages inside a zoo and lined the perfectly symmetrical corridors which seemed to extend forever in all directions.  Every cell they had passed thus far was empty.  They had been accompanied by two guards.

“As a monarch you will be forced to set your feelings aside for the greater good of your people.  You saw this, and challenged it, firsthand when I was caught in between the emotional ties of a father to his son and legal system of Asgard.  Is that something you believe yourself capable of doing?”  She nodded.  “I used to be terrified of my feelings and was pretty damn good at ignoring them.  I don’t do that anymore of course, but considering the occupation I used to have on Earth I had to be pretty brutal and logical to protect my company.  My company was pretty much my kingdom.  I had to protect its integrity, make sure the work environment was up to par in every way, ensure that my employees had all their needs met to be able to work as productively as possible without being miserable…In short, yeah, up to the challenge.” 

They turned a corner and reached the first cell she had seen to be occupied.  Inside was a squirrel, looking no different than one from Earth, its feet and paws bound together with what appeared to be some sort of cursed metal chain; a similar one, also radiating a visible magical aura, was around its neck and connected to the wall like a leash.  Initially it ignored their presence until it saw Danielle and looked highly intrigued.

“Then you will decide the fate of Ratatosk, the interdimensional traveler.”

“Wait, what?  Me?  Decide that?  Not objecting but…I didn’t think you’d put me up to something like that so soon.”  She gave a confident nod.  “I’ll do it.”

“Whatever you choose, you will not have the chance to change your mind afterwards.  I know you are angry because his actions have intensified the animosity between our realm and the others, and in addition have put you and your loved ones in great danger.  Will you decide his punishment, or will your anger dictate your thought process?” 

“If I’m supposed to figure out a punishment I need all the details of the crimes committed.  To do that I need an interrogation.  To interrogate I need to know what to ask and how to ask it.  Framing an argument requires logic.  I can handle this,” she reassured.  “Something I have experience with.” 

“We shall see.”

“Can I go in?”  She pointed towards the cell with her thumb.  “Not unless you plan on killing him with your bare hands,” the Allfather replied and she flashed a slightly sadistic grin.  “Oh believe me, I’m tempted.”  The rodent started to squirm anxiously in its restraints.  The blonde folded her arms over her chest and approached the glass, eyes narrowing and growing colder with each step.

“You deliberately started this war,” she began calmly, still staring him down.  “Why?”

“I didn’t start it!” the small creature vehemently protested.  “Loki did when he decided to start fucking a human bitch.”

 _Oh, so that’s how you wanna play it?  Alright.  Game on._   “If not for the Tesseract getting a little spastic no one would have learned about the life-siphoning mists crawling up Yggdrasil before Hel, Vali, and Narfi came here.  By the time they learned it would’ve been too late.  But there was no reason the worlds would be pitted against each other, just a mass panic over the fact that Yggdrasil is trying commit suicide.  You knew exactly what you were doing.  And it was all because Loki unexpectedly deemed this human bitch fuckable.  Am I hearing you correctly?”

“It’s bad enough that the runt of Laufey’s litter is still pretending to be an Asgardian.  And the future king too!  Now the future queen will be a human?  A _human_ ruling over Gods?  There’s a hierarchy for a reason.”

“Yeah, kinda like the food chain.  That exists for a reason.  So unless you want me to feed you to Fenrir, you’ll stop giving me that attitude and be a little more compliant.  Sound fair?”  He shrank back.  “No need to be hostile.  You humans are so aggressive…”  Danielle snickered and flicked her finger against the glass lightly.  Cracks rippled from the impact, resembling a bullet hole.  She studied the wall of the cell.  “That’s very strong glass.  Techtite compound reinforced, I believe.  Or whatever the Asgard equivalent would be.  And this?”  She waved her finger in a circular motion around the damage.  “I did that with just one finger.  Imagine what I could do to you with just one finger.  Now imagine what I could do with five.  Then proceed to explain to me why my being human has anything to do with whether or not I meet the standards of the ‘hierarchy’.  Please don’t tell me you thought humans were too weak.”

“Of course not, psychopath,” he replied breathing heavily.  “I’ve been to Midgard, I’ve heard of what you can do.  Humans belong on Midgard.  Jotunn belong on Jotunnheim.  Fenrir and the snake and that rotting girl, they should be in Jotunnheim too.”

“You told Angrboda more than just about Loki being engaged to a human.  You told her they’re here on Asgard.”

“You bet I did.  They don’t belong here.  Neither do you.  Neither does Loki.”

“So why start the war?”

“If this is what Asgard has become then let the Vanir destroy everyone living under the Allfather!  Either that or let Loki take his place as rightful King of Jotunnheim!  That way your life is spared because the engagement would be called off, ending the Vanir’s hostility towards Asgard, and forcing you to go back home.”

“You started the war to end the war.  To try and correct these ‘unforgivable social and political transgressions’.  Then why bring the war to Midgard?  Why tell HYDRA about what’s going on?  Oh don’t look at me like that.  Who else would run down there and tattle to exacerbate the situation?  Why get the humans involved?  Why revive a conflict that’s a century old?”

“Because they’re the only humans who know their place and show a little respect to the hierarchy.”

 _Respect the hierarchy?_ “The Wotanists.  What about the Asatru and other branches of Norse Neo-Paganism?  Why the racially motivated group?”

“They’re the only ones who would take up arms against the infidels.”

“And you’re the epitome of piety.  Alright Euthyphro, riddle me this.  What happens to Helheim if the GODDESS of the damned, who happens to be of Jotunn descent, is confined to Jotunnheim?”

“Nothing was wrong with Niflheim before she was dropped off the Bifrost.”  The images from Danielle’s nightmare flashed through her head, causing her tense up and break into a nervous sweat.  _Not now.  Not now.  That junk can’t bleed over into this conversation.  I’m in charge right now.  Calm down._ “So it’s not about title, just race.  Goddess or not she doesn’t deserve her own realm and should be in Jotunnheim.”  She started rubbing her chin in thought.  “Then the Norns would have to pack up and go too.  What about Nidhogg?  Wait, he has a place at the very bottom of the tree.  And Garm?  He isn’t dead but he lives in Niflheim.  Oh, duh, he lives in Niflheim, not Helheim.”  She looked at him thoughtfully and smiled sweetly.  “Where does that make you native to?  Where do you belong?  You aren’t Asgardian, you aren’t of Vanaheim, and obviously not an elf, fire giant, frost giant, or human either.  Is Yggdrasil itself your home?  Because if so I think you’ve been evicted.  Odin, correct me if I’m wrong but no one can actually claim the whole tree itself as a place of residence, yes?”  She glanced over her shoulder.

“No.  The tree is home to the realms,” he replied sternly, following along with Danielle’s line of interrogation.  She nodded.  “Thought so.  Thanks.”  Grinning, she turned back to Ratatosk.  “Following your own ideology, you don’t fit into the hierarchy, do you?”

“I live mostly in Vanaheim-”

“But you aren’t Vanir.  Area of residence doesn’t matter, remember?  That’s why Loki, Hel, Fenrir, and myself shouldn’t be here.  Oh, and Vali and Narfi!  Half-Asgardian, half-frost giant.  Where do they go?  I’ll meditate on that later.  I think I know where you belong.  If you were to die then, because of your own transgressions, you wouldn’t be sent to Valhalla or the afterlife Freyja rules over.  You would be sent to Helheim.  But as it stands there is no Helheim.  There is no place for souls of the damned.  All things have a purpose Ratatosk, that’s a universally accepted truth.  But purposes coincide with a place and time.  We call that combination of event and setting ‘Fate’.  There is no place for you though.  Therefore you lose purpose.”

“What?!  How did you come to that conclusion?!  What does that have to do with the war?!”

“If A, then B.  Not B, therefore not A.  Didn’t you ever spy on Aristotle?  If you have a purpose, you have an afterlife that coincides with the course of your actions during your lifetime defining your purpose.  You don’t have an afterlife that coincides with the course of your actions during your lifetime defining your purpose.  Therefore you have no purpose.  With no place to call your own in life and no Helheim to accept your soul, you wouldn’t have a place in death either, would you?  You would simply be…erased.”

The rodent started to panic.  “That’s not necessarily true.  I might join Nidhogg’s forces!”

“Nidhogg’s forces are composed of the former subjects of Hel and residents of Helheim.  They aren’t recruiting anymore because there is no Helheim to recruit from.  Which would’ve been the natural consequence of the mists regardless of Hel’s decision to send her brothers here and fight the dragon or not.  No matter what course of action she took Helheim would still have, in the end, been destroyed.  Technically speaking your purpose is to no longer have a purpose.”  Her eyes were without emotion but her gaze was like a knife carving through his tiny form.

“I…Let’s make a deal, OK?” he pleaded and she shook her head, expression never faltering.  “I’m afraid the luxury of compromise isn’t available to you.  Whatever it is that you would want in making a deal with me is inconsequential.  You have no Fate to fight, to enforce any want or desire on.  I’d be wasting my breath in trying to bargain with you.  And even if you were able to bargain with me I still wouldn’t go along with it.  Not after what you’ve subjected the entirety of the universe to.  Using my engagement to start it all too…I don’t know if I should be flattered or not.”

“The Allfather ordered you to be engaged to him.  The other realms would’ve found out eventually regardless of whether or not I told them.  There still would be a war.”

“I think that would drop in rank on the priority list if everyone was worrying about Ragnarok and the mists instead, seeing as they would’ve found out about the engagement, prepared for war, and _then_ learned about what happened in Niflheim.  And by then it would probably be too late.  Mass panic.  Which do you think a ruler would rather do?  Destroy one perceived threat, that threat being me, or strive to save all of their people from an immediate threat like Yggdrasil crumbling?  Killing me first wouldn’t accomplish anything if they have no realm to protect from my icky human blood.  Jotunnheim would have no laws to enforce because there would be no Jotunnheim, and Vanaheim would have no competition because there would be no Vanaheim.  And had it played out like that you still wouldn’t have a purpose because there would be no afterlife for you.”

“Really?  How so?  If I didn’t run around gossiping about you why would I go to Helheim?”

“Because you still ran around gossiping, specifically to Nidhogg and that eagle no one knows the name of perched somewhere here in Asgard.  Or is that another false story fed to Midgard?”  She looked at Odin again, expression soft and curious.  He shook his head.  “It’s true.”  When her gaze returned to Ratatosk it was twice as dark as before, but her tone was as gentle as a mother crooning her child.  “A rivalry perpetuated between a creature at the very bottom of the tree and the very top of the tree…A rivalry perpetuated by you.  And the creature at the bottom just so happens to be coming up to the top.  What reason would Nidhogg have to be hostile towards other realms?  He was just fine gnawing away at the tree.  He could’ve escaped the mists by fleeing but instead he created an entire army, almost killed Hel, commissioned Garm, destroyed Helheim, and is Asgard-bound.  And why is that?  What did you tell him about the eagle?  Something that would make him feel the need to come up here?  And not only that, but bring an entire army with him?  Why is he intent on causing all this destruction?”  Ratatosk’s eyes widened.  “I don’t know,” he stammered.

She snickered and rolled her eyes, dropping a hip and putting her hand on it.  “Keep in mind who I’m engaged to.  You can’t lie to me,” she said condescendingly.

“I really don’t know, I can’t read his mind.”

“You don’t need to be able to read his mind.  You knew him well enough to know what would set him off, hence the never ending exchange of fabricated insults.  What does he believe about the eagle?  Or Asgard?  Or Ragnarok?  What would compel him to come here with an army?”

“I don’t know why he made an army and destroyed Helheim, alright?  But I told him, a long time ago I told him that when Ragnarok happens…I told him the eagle said when Ragnarok happens that he would fight him.  And I told the eagle that when Ragnarok happens, Nidhogg said he would storm up to Asgard to try and kill him.  The eagle is a coward though, probably hiding somewhere.  That’s why he never revealed his name.”

“And you made him look like antagonistic to the dragon for your own amusement.  Nidhogg doesn’t have an army, he has a search party.  Is that what you’re telling me?  He’s going to scour all of Yggdrasil to find _one_ eagle?”

“I told him the eagle keeps his name a secret because he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s actually one of the Allfather’s many alternate forms!” he burst out.  “He thinks the Allfather issued a challenge to fight him.  He doesn’t know that stupid bird really is just a stupid bird.  Are you happy now?!”

“So he does have an army.  And he’s coming for Odin.  Why would he wait until Ragnarok if it pissed him off so much?

“The longer he waits the bigger his army will be and come Ragnarok the Allfather will be so distracted with Fenrir, who was initially believed to try and kill him, that Nidhogg would be able to destroy the Allfather himself.  No one would see it coming because no one else would know.  He thought it was his Fate.  And he thought doing so would give him dominion over the bottom of the tree where he’s from and the top of tree, Asgard.  And everything in between.”

“But everything in between would be destroyed in his moving up here, wouldn’t it?”  _Oh Gods, he might run right through Midgard!  Good thing Thor is there.  He knows.  Maybe Jormungandr can help fight him off?_

“The original story of Ragnarok said that in the end a new world would exist and some of the Gods would be reborn.  I made Nidhogg believe that it was his Fate to rule the new world.”

Danielle smiled courteously.  “Thank you very much.”  She turned around to face Odin.  “Went impromptu and used his words against him.  You can tell I’m Loki’s better half off of that alone,” she laughed.  “That was his punishment.  To tell all those juicy secrets he’s been thriving on only to learn his gossiping, what was originally his purpose before I undid Ragnarok and recreated it, became his own undoing and now he has no purpose.  I think it’s safe to assume after hearing a challenge like that Nidhogg would’ve still taken the same course of action.  All this chaos and what not would’ve happened despite the timeline split.  Ratatosk now knows that which he derived the meaning of his existence from is the very thing which has made him useless.  He would’ve gone to Helheim no matter what because of his actions before the timeline split, but there’s no Helheim now.  In other words I fucked with his head.  Good thing you didn’t listen to Tyr and kept him alive or we wouldn’t know that Nidhogg is after you, big guy.  And for now…Keep him here.  Like I said, he wanted a war.”  She looked over her shoulder at the rodent.  “And now he has it.  Let him witness the fruits of his labor, which will no doubt kill him and cause his soul to deteriorate.”

“Unless his presence poses a greater threat then I will not use my authority to supersede your command.”

“Honestly it doesn’t matter what happens to him now because unless he somehow survives Ragnarok, which I highly doubt since he doesn’t have the right to stay nice and cozy in his cell while the rest of us are fighting, he’ll be erased.  I’d just like to see him suffer a little longer if possible.”

“If that’s the case, what’s one more?  I also told him that Fenrir was his ally in taking down the Allfather.”  Danielle immediately stopped, lips slightly parted in shock.    “You did what?” she asked wide-eyed and sounding slight deranged, the way Hel did when she had first met the girl and told her about her encounters with Sigyn.  “If and when Nidhogg sees Fenrir is actually an enemy, siding with Odin at that, he will immediately become a target.  You made another one of my kids a target.”  She grit her teeth.  “Odin,” she began in a low, dark tone, “the punitive system here still implements brutal medieval methods of torture, yes?” She sounded very hopeful, looking delighted by the prospect.

“We are a rather traditional people,” he replied stoically.  After hearing the entirety of Ratatosk’s confession he didn’t care how emotive or aggressive Danielle became in terms of dealing with the rodent.  This was more than a deliberate attempt at trying to fix a ‘hierarchy’.

“Whatever the worst form of torture you have, I want him subjected to it as slowly as possibl to draw it out for as long as possible until he’s begging to be killed.  After that, I want brought back here and to remain here, but no longer have the ability to see so she’s in a constant state of panic because he has no idea what’s going on around him.  Gouge his eyes out so he can’t cry about it.  Leave him with just his tongue so he can do what he does best.  Fill the air with empty words.  Be it gossip…” She felt her jaw clench.  “Or a plea for mercy.”  She casually rested an arm against the glass and smiled at Ratatosk, her eyes following him as the guards opened the cell and dragged him out kicking, biting, and scratching, dragging him off to wherever his torture would take place.  She gave a friendly goodbye wave.

“What will happen to him?” she asked eagerly.

“I doubt even you could stomach the details.”

“I’d say test me, but I’ll take your word for it.”  She spun on her heel and turned to Odin.  “That was pretty…dark, to say the least.  Was it over the top?  I mean, I was using logic to practically choke the information out of him.  Wasn’t all that emotional, was I?”

“During your interrogation, no.  But in the end it was your anger that decided his final punishment.  How do you feel after issuing that command?  Do you find it a fitting punishment for his crimes?  Or do you feel guilt, remorse, pity?”

“I feel nothing,” she replied with honest apathy.  “Well, accomplishment, but not on an emotional level.  Acknowledgement of accomplishing something but not taking pride in what I did.  I just…did what I had to do.  As per usual.  I’ve never acted like that though.  Usually I yell and bitch and rant and, wait, you already know that.  You had to put up with it.”  She chuckled.  “Good times.  Does being a ruler bring out this darker side of someone?”

He turned to leave, motioning for her to follow.  “Having authority is a balancing act.  You need to be able to know when you aren’t using enough to ensure you won’t be taken advantage of, but if you are using excessive authority then you lose the trust of those whose well-being you are to oversee.  In situations such as the one you were just in, conduct it as if you had an audience.  All of your people were watching you.  A good ruler is able to adapt to any circumstance, but such adaptations should not be secrets kept from the people.  What would happen if you had handled something poorly, in secret, and the people found out?”

“They wouldn’t trust you.”

“Why not?”

“No transparency.  The people should know their ruler and the ruler should know the people.  I was the same way with my company.  Tried to be as accommodating as possible within reason.  Shit, I am in desperate need of some political philosophy now.  Where oh where is this magnificent library I know you’re hiding from me?”

“Come.  I will show you to it.”

“Hey Odin?”

“Yes?”

“I think this is the start of beautiful friendship.  Promise not to threaten your life and get super aggressive anymore.  I was still just a teenager back then.  Hormonal fluctuations made me a little crazy.”

“In more ways than one, from what I gathered,” he laughed.  She dropped her face into her palm.  “Alright, yes, obviously Loki and I were in total denial of something being between us and we tried to act like nothing was there even though we knew deep down there was and now here we are eight years later.  So what do we do about Nidhogg?”  _It’s gonna take forever to get used to these guards bowing to me…_

“I will send one of my messenger ravens to Thor.  Clearly the dragon will have to pass through Midgard to come here but if he is so intent on reaching Asgard he won’t allow anything to stop him.”

“So he’ll be super reckless in other words, not giving a damn about what he tramples on while he ascends.”

“Precisely.  I am hoping the threat can be contained somehow before they reach Muspelheim.  We still have plenty of time according to Heimdall.  I will need you to interact with the Tesseract soon.  We cannot rely on these dreams alone.  Now that you are here and more of the future has become concrete I believe that handling it in person will create a stronger connection to it, allowing for better communication.”

“No time limit either with no alarm clock to worry abo-”  She immediately went silent when Odin pushed open a pair of gilded doors leading to the library.  It was about all tall as it was wide and appeared to be as long as a football field.  She slowly walked in.  “I think my heart just skipped a beat,” she breathed dramatically putting her hands on her chest.  “This…is…amazing…I feel a little teary-eyed.”

“You’d be surprised at some of the things we have in there.  A lot of ancient texts, authentic ones, are within these walls.  I’m sure an avid reader such as yourself is familiar with the Ancient Library of Alexandria?”  She put a hand on forehead and feigned distress.  “What a tragedy…Why do you ask?”

“Many of the texts were salvaged and can be found here.”  Her jaw dropped.  “So that’s why Loki made fun of me for crying over the library burning down!  That little fucker.  How are they organized?”

“Chronologically.  It was the easiest system.  Alphabetical was proposed but that would require a great deal of translation and transliteration.”

“Yeah, no shit…I’m gonna go explore the jungle unless you need something else from me right now.  Oh, Sif told me that Vali is really excited to meet me?  If you see him tell him where I am.  Narfi too if he wants to tag along.”

“I can do that.”

“Awesome.  So…I did okay with Ratatosk?”

“Are you beginning to doubt yourself?” he asked with an eyebrow raised and she began to wander around near the entrance, marveling at the massive and impressive collection of books.  Shaking her head as she ran her fingertips along the spines of each book she passed she replied, “No.  Just curious, since I’m new to it.”

“To be completely honest, I thought you would cave in to your feelings and let your frustration rule you.  And in the end you did but considering your character I don’t think it could have been avoided.  As you said you are inexperienced with such situations.”

“Not surprised you thought that.  I don’t wear my emotions on my sleeve, but when they’re strong they’re…pretty pronounced.  Easy to pick up on.”  _It’s official.  I’m in heaven.  Pun absolutely intended.  Good Gods, this is…this is…THIS IS SEX IN PAPER FORM._

“I noticed that about you rather quickly.  I will leave you to your reading then.”

“Alrighty.  See ya.”

* * *

**Hel’s Room**

 

 _Choose my words carefully and I’ll find some way to shove a wedge in between them_.  “The reason I wanted to speak to you alone is because…I can’t afford to let them see me afraid.  They look up to me.  But I’m in a similar position as Narfi.  I like Danielle as a person, I really do.”   _I just hate her as your fiancée, and her uterus._   “But…my own ‘mother’…She dropped me and Jormungandr from the Bifrost.  She lied to the Allfather about Fenrir and he was chained for hundreds of years.  I like my independence.  What I don’t like is someone I’ve only met once, under very strange circumstances, suddenly becoming a part of my family.  Our family.  I haven’t seen you in…I don’t even know how long it’s been.  And I’ve been afraid that not only will I have to adjust to having a ‘mother’ I’ll have to adjust to you having a ‘wife’.  That you won’t pay as much attention to us.  I’m jealous.”  _Not of Danielle though…She’s not the one you’d be paying more attention to…_

Loki sat down at Hel’s bedside.  “Danielle is nervous about suddenly having six stepchildren.  She’s excited by the _idea_ but actually having to be a mother…It’s something she knows nothing about.  And after what happened with Sigyn and Angrboda, in regards to all of you, I’m sure she feels a great deal of pressure.  I’m sure she now feels she’ll be held to a high standard, expected to provide the six of you with the attention and care you have been deprived of.”

“That makes sense.  Perhaps it’s not so much having a new mother as it is what happened with the last one.  Being afraid that she will be no different and pushing her away to avoid feeling that again.  That betrayal.”  Her pale fists clutched the bedding tightly.  “And she lives too.  Angrboda lives.  Otherwise I would have received her.  Courtesy of the jotunn I already have received I know of the pure blood law.  Vali, Narfi, and Sleipnir are in danger.  As is any child Danielle may bear.  She herself is in trouble just for being with you.”  _He’s tense.  He’s uncomfortable.  He doesn’t like talking about Jotunnheim, does he?  No, it’s deeper than that…He’s still bothered by the fact that he is jotunn after finally having created and accepted an Asgardian identity.  He did…try to destroy Jotunnheim long ago…We’re getting somewhere._   “How does she feel about that?  Does she know?”

He nodded.  “She learned of it in one of the dreams she had.  In it she saw what Angrboda did to you.  Angrboda, the dream version, told Danielle that any ‘new blood’ would be the death of her.  I think it’s safe to surmise that the ‘new blood’ she referred to regards the pure blood law of Jotunnheim.”

“Will she come here?  Will she engage in war with us?”

“Probably.  She wants Danielle dead.”

“Then we should get to her first, shouldn’t we?  Why has no one gone to Jotunnheim and annihilated her?  With no Helheim for her soul to go, she would be erased from existence.  Everyone wins!”

“Odin said he has plans to go and discuss-”

“Discuss?  Now?  The damned Vanir are refusing peace talks!  There’s no hope for diplomacy with Jotunnheim.  Perhaps you should go.  Maybe you-”  He quickly shook his head.  “I can’t.  I can’t go back there.”

“Why not?” she asked with innocent curiosity, masking her intrigue.  _I think I’ve struck gold…_

“Danielle advised I not.  After seeing my temper get the better of me in learning that Angrboda is the acting sovereign she made me promise never to go unless absolutely necessary.”

“The acting sovereign?  She rules Jotunnheim?  Women aren’t allowed to…This is a mess.  A huge mess.  If Angrboda dies that’s one less threat we need to worry about, isn’t it?  Jotunnheim would still engage with us but I feel that they would go after you instead, whereas she would want to destroy Danielle.  Is she afraid of being in this position?”

“I’m sure she is.”

“That’s probably why she doesn’t want you to go!  I can see by the look in your eyes the word alone is frustrating you.  Maybe she legitimately believes going there wouldn’t in your best interest, but that doesn’t mean she’s right.  Fear could be clouding her judgment.”

“Hel, I’m not going there.  Regardless of Danielle’s wishes.”

“But she did so much for you despite your initial protests and anger towards her.  And deep down you were afraid, weren’t you?  Why not return the favor?  At first she would be mad and have a screaming fit but in the end I’m sure she would understand your reasoning behind it.  You did it for us and for her.  If she really is so concerned about being a good mother shouldn’t she have the interests of her children at heart as well?  Vali and Narfi are in danger.  Sleipnir is in danger.  And she’s in danger.  But if she’s so afraid, she can’t protect them or herself.  Only you can.  Go.  You have to go.”  _Go, anger Danielle.  Break that promise.  Earning her trust must have been so hard, Liesmith.  Break that trust, break her heart, and lose her.  No Danielle, no little replacement I need to concern myself with.  Just the six of us.  As it should be._

* * *

**New York City, 10:45 AM**

 

In Asgard early evening was approaching but only a few hours had passed on Earth.  Tony did his best to, after hooking up Danielle’s old house to the tower and installing J.A.R.V.I.S., contain the media in regards to his daughter’s decision.  That aside it was a relatively uneventful morning.  The most exciting thing to happen so far was Bobbi’s second checkup.

During the first she learned that she was already pregnant before she and Clint had broken up; by the time they had she was nearing three weeks.  After first noticing the symptoms she immediately scheduled an ultrasound with an associate of hers in the medical community (more reliable than an at home test, and more importantly outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.) to ensure it wasn’t pregnancy, and unfortunately found she was wrong a twofold as the separate blastocysts were already visible.  Now she was roughly six weeks along, and it was time for her first actual checkup.  Clint, as promised, went with her.  She was somewhat ambivalent about it but appreciated that he was keeping his word.

“It’s like Dani all over again,” he muttered to himself as the obstetric ultrasonographer covered Bobbi’s bare stomach with a translucent gel.  “Except she only took six months.  Overachiever.”

“Sounds like her.  Alright doctor, what’s the word?”

“Give me just a moment to get the sonogram visible…Here we go.”  The obstetric ultrasonographer turned the screen towards them.  “They’re both about a quarter of an inch.  Average size at this point.  Right now the spinal cord is starting to close up, the first blood cells and vessels are developing, and though you can’t hear it…”  He pointed at the screen.  “You can see two beating hearts.”

“Holy shit,” he breathed, leaning closer to get a better look.  “That’s…holy shit.”

“You’re articulate today,” she mocked with a slight grin.  “Everything’s in order then?”

“Two very healthy embryos.  We’ll need to do a few blood tests to be sure.  Will your husband be staying with you?”

“Oh he’s not my-”

“We’re not married.”

“My apologies for being presumptuous.  Your boyfriend?”

“I’m not-”

“He was-”

“But now I’m not.”

“No, definitely not.”

“Nope.”

“Past tense.”

“Sometimes still tense.”

“But the relationship-”

“It’s in the past.”

On the car ride back to base Bobbi couldn’t stop shaking her head.  “That was incredibly awkward, to say the least.”  He ‘hmph’d and leaned back into the driver’s seat.  “No kidding.  But that was pretty cool, seeing the heart beat.”

“Yeah.”

“And they’re fraternal, right?”

“One boy, one girl.  At least I hope.  We won't know for a few more weeks.”

“Started thinking about names?”

“I like Wyatt.  After Wyatt Earp.”

“Really?  Not Albert?”

“Einstein was a physicist, not a biochemist.  What about you?” she asked resting an arm against the window.  He visibly jumped and turned to her when they hit a red light.  “Me?  I thought you were…I don’t know how involved you want me to be in this so I haven’t thought of any.  Haven’t even considered thinking of any.”

“They’re yours too,” she reminded.  “There’s more to getting ready for being a parent than coming with me to checkups.”

“Um, okay, well, I think Katherine is a pretty name.”

“Katherine?  Katherine and Wyatt…”  Her voice sounded dreamy and Clint fought a smile.  It was the first time Bobbi seemed genuinely relaxed since their breakup.  She raised an eyebrow at him.  “Why the goofy grin?”

“What?  It’s nothing.  Just nice to see you finally calm.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she snapped and he sighed.  “I didn’t mean it like that.  You haven’t been a hormonal hot mess the entire time.  I meant that, for the first time since the breakup and the news you seem content.  Not worrying over work or being pregnant or anything else.”

“Hm.  Suppose I do feel like that.  What do we do about last names?”

“Should we decide custody first?”

“Shared.  Fifty-fifty.  You’re a man of your word, Clint Barton.  Always have been, always will be.”

“Thanks.  Then hyphenated I guess.  Barton-Morse or Morse-Barton?”

“We can flip a coin over it later.”

“Just like Steve and Tony.”

“You’re kidding.  You must be kidding.”  Clint shook his head.  “I was there to officiate.  Not that anyone is really needed to officiate a coin toss.  How else do you think it ended up being Rogers-Stark instead of Stark-Rogers?”  She chuckled.  “I always thought it was alphabetical.  But yes, Tony does have an ego the size of Jupiter…Hardly a concern now.  Unlike with Dani with still have thirty-some weeks left.”

“Thirty-some?  Isn’t it thirty-four?  That would be…early June.”

“There could be complications.  Premature, born late, other things…”  Her voice drifted off and her eyes were downcast.  He shook his head.  “Please don’t…don’t say something like that again.  Constantly worrying over the test tube baby was scarier than Budapest.  I don’t want to go through that again.  Not with my own kids.”

“No pregnancy is perfect Clint.  You need to be realistic.  Things can happen.  I’m doing my best to keep them from happening and it’s a miracle that those weeks I spent in the lab before I knew about the twins haven’t had any noticeable affects on them.  But that doesn’t mean something might not happen later down the line.”

“I know that but…”

“But?”

“I haven’t told anyone but Natasha about this because it still screws with my head sometimes.  I was reluctant to tell her, if that says anything to you.  I hate even thinking about it.  But I almost had a little sister.  And my mom miscarried in the third trimester.  She had to give birth to a stillborn.”  Bobbi studied him for a moment.  “Pull over.  You’re starting to shake, you shouldn’t drive.”  He nodded and as soon as he had the chance and pulled over on the side of the ride, across the street from Stark Industries of all places.  He started to deep breath and put his rubbed his temples, feeling an immense headache coming on.  “My dad…I told you about how he was an asshole.  He told me that I was going to have a baby sister earlier than we thought.  He drove me to the hospital and I was so excited.  Once we got there…he told me what was happening.  And because I was only four I believed him when he said it was my fault because I ruined her insides when she was pregnant with me.”  He swallowed hard and planted his arms on the steering wheel, dropping his chin onto them.

“That’s why you’re so determined to be the best dad you can.  Because you’re afraid of turning out like him.”  He nodded slowly.  “Yeah.  I never wanted kids because I was afraid of that.  But when you told me I panicked because I had to undo that way of thinking.  I had to relive everything that son a bitch did and said so I could make sure I was just the opposite.  As morbid as this might sound I’m glad she wasn’t born.  She didn’t have to put with him.  She was spared from that misery.”

“…they were going to name her Katherine, weren’t they?”

Suddenly an explosion went off not far from where they were parked, shattered glass flying from the Stark Industries building and smoke pouring out of it.  “Shit, Pepper is in there,” he realized, immediately entering agent mode.  He was about to get out when he remembered that Bobbi was just as much a target as Pepper was so she couldn’t be left alone, but he couldn’t bring her with him.

“This is Agent Barton calling for backup.  Something just exploded inside Stark Industries and Pepper fits the bill for HYDRA’s ideal targets.  I need as many-”

“Clint, shut up, I’m almost there,” Natasha voice interrupted through the static.

“You see better from a distance,” Bobbi reminded and pointed to the backseat with her thumb where he kept his collapsible quiver and arrows hidden beneath the seat.  “Duty calls, Agent Barton.”

“No shit.  Too bad we can’t go in there.  It would be just like that time we were in Tokyo.”

“Right.  The time I accidentally knocked you unconscious because I was swarmed by yakuza and you made no indication that you were within proximity.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time a woman I was in love with knocked me unconscious.”

* * *

**Stark Industries, Fifteen Minutes Earlier**

 

“I’m sorry Ms. Summers but even I don’t know where Ms. Rogers-Stark has gone,” Pepper lied through grit teeth.  She looked up at Darcy, making a gun with her finger and pretending to shoot herself in the head.  The brunette tried not to laugh as the call was on speakerphone, as well as being recorded.  “And if I did that would be privileged information which I would not share with anyone.”

“I see.  It’s a shame, as we really need her invaluable insight on genetics and genetics engineering to move forward with our project.  You wouldn’t happen to be versed in that would you?  You are the CEO after all and you have been before so I can only assume you have some sort of scientific background.”

“Oh would you look at the time, I have a meeting to go get ready for-”  Darcy started shaking her head and began scribbling on her clipboard.  ‘Milk her!’.  “On second thought the meeting does involve your project and though you gave a lovely tour of your facility you only said so much about it.  I’d like to know a little more so I have information to present.  Ms. Lewis, would you please reschedule the meeting for later this afternoon?”  Darcy gave her a thumbs up. “Genetic engineering to…‘benefit all mankind’ I believe is how you described it.”

“We’re looking into being able to genetically alter unborn children at high risk for or developing any sort of genetic disorder, we’ve rewired people to enhance stamina and alertness, and are currently looking into how we can rewire people who have mental illnesses.  I’d like to focus specifically on more trauma-based disorders such as PTSD.  You know, for our troops.”

Darcy and Pepper exchanged shocked looks.  It was obviously a reference to Steve.  Ruby was probably operating under the assumption that Danielle and the Avengers had made the connection but Pepper had been excluded from the picture.  “That certainly is very altruistic of you,” she replied trying to maintain her composure.  Her mind started to race.  If HYDRA could infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. and ensure Steve’s suffering, what was stopping them from working their way into Stark Industries?  Darcy scribbled something down again.  ‘Call Scary Wife!!!!’ it read and she tapped on it to rush Pepper along.

“And now I really do have to let you go.  One of the interns broke the copy machine again.  You know how they can be, those interns.  It was lovely chatting with you and we should sit down together sometime and talk more about your project.”  She quickly hung up and exhaled deeply.

“I think I’m about to have a panic attack,” she muttered.  “She was talking about Steve.  And Emma is probably feeding her those lines.  That was deliberate.  She wanted me to catch the reference.  Oh God.  She knows I know.”

Darcy went up to her side and started fanning her with the clipboard.  “Call Scary Wife and tell her everything,” she advised and Pepper nodded.  She dialed Natasha’s work cell and was surprised to hear the sounds of traffic and pedestrians in the background.

“Tasha, we have a problem.  I think Emma knows I know.  I just got off the phone with Ruby and I’m starting to freak out because I just realized that if HYDRA can get into S.H.I.E.L.D. they could easily get into here no matter how obsessed Happy is with security badges.”

“I know, I’m on my there right now.  I’ve been tapping your lines all day waiting for Frost Enterprises to contact you.”

“You’re the best super spy wife a CEO could ask for.”  Darcy rolled her eyes at the sappy remark.

“Just doing my job.  Sit tight, I’ll be there soon.  Coming in as Natalie Rushman.”

“OK.  See you soon.”  Just as Pepper set the phone down the sound of something bursting came from one of the lower floors, accompanied by the smell of smoke.

“I’ve spent enough time around Dani to distinguish causes of explosions and that was most definitely a bomb.”

“Ruby probably waited until after the call to detonate it.  We’re pretty much trapped up here on the top floor.”

“Probably the plan.  Shit!”  Pepper pounded her fist on the desk.

“Scary Wife is on her way and it won’t take long for the others to get here.”  There was another detonation, this time closer, and both had to cover their ears to try and block out the deafening ringing sound.

Darcy’s S.H.I.E.L.D. issued communicator started to go off but she could barely make out any of the words, though the voice clearly belonged to Clint.  From what little she managed to catch it sounded like he was calling for backup.  A third explosion went off, even closer and the building started to tremble violently.  Small cracks started to form in the floor.  The explosions weren’t enough to level the building, only affect a small radius, but they kept coming closer and closer making the distance between them and the radius smaller and smaller.

‘They’re trying to smoke you out!’ Darcy scribbled frantically, then added, ‘You fit HYDRA’s profile!’  Pepper nodded again, painfully aware of the fact.  Right now it was either be killed by the detonations or be kidnapped and subjected to who knows what.  They picked up another loud sound, this time from outside the building, which strongly resembled the sound of thunder despite the clear skies out.  There was a crash through the roof and Mjolnir fell through, Thor right behind.

“It seems I have returned just in time,” he said as he picked up his hammer.  “Come, we need to get you out of here.”

“You can’t carry us both!” Darcy exclaimed, bracing herself for another explosion.  Thor grinned as he picked up Pepper, startling her some.  “I wouldn’t worry about that.”  As he took off, holding tightly on to Pepper a large green arm burst through the wall and grabbed Darcy, pulling her out of the CEO office and taking her down to the ground outside only seconds before a bomb positioned on the top floor went off.  Hazy and in shock from the grab and sudden drop, when she finally came to her senses (and consequently was able to panic) she saw the Hulk set her down next to Clint’s car while the marksman began sniping visible HYDRA agents from the street where they were parked.  Natasha was shooting from in front of the building, catching any that tried to escape while Iron Man scoured the inside for non-HYDRA affiliated survivors.  When Darcy finally came to her senses she stood up and leaned against the car, taking a deep breath.

“Thanks big guy,” she said, stumbling through her words.  “You’re the best.  High five.  Wait, bad idea.  High five later.  I’m gonna go sit down now.  You, you go smash please and thank you.”  She opened the back door of Bobbi’s car and dropped down in the seat.  The Hulk went to go assist Natasha and Thor brought Pepper to the car as well, helping her inside.

“Are you both alright?” he asked with immense concern.  Darcy gave a thumbs up.  “Never better.  First day on the job and I almost get blown up.”  She tapped Bobbi on the shoulder and leaned forward.  “Do I get a raise for this?”  The blonde merely raised an eyebrow at her.  “Right.  Haven’t been employed long enough.  Gotcha.”

“Will Natasha be okay down there?” Pepper asked frantically.  She had never seen her wife in action before.  “The building is going to collapse and she doesn’t have a suit like Tony and there’s debris everywhere and-!”  She jumped and spun her head around when she heard a loud crashing noise.  The building was coming down like a Jenga tower, but the Hulk was able to shield Natasha from it all during the few instances when she wasn’t nimble enough to move in time.

“I think she will be fine,” the thunder God replied and went to join them.

Bobbi opened the glove compartment and pulled out more of Clint’s collapsible arrows, handing them to him through the open window on her side.  “You’re about to run out.”

“How did you know that?” he asked as he fired the few he had left and quickly reloaded his quiver using the bunch Bobbi handed him.

“I was keeping count.”

“And they said Mockingbird wasn’t able to be out in the field,” he replied with a grin.  She was about to grin back but suddenly her stomach lurched and covered her mouth with her hand.  “That’s probably because Mockingbird is still-  Oh God…”  She leaned out the window. 

“Bobbi!  Did you just get vomit on the car?!”

“It wasn’t intentional!”

“You do recognize that car, don’t you?!  Coulson let me borrow Lola while mine is still in the shop!  He’s gonna kill me!”

“And that’s my fault?!”

“I’ve seen you shoot, you have better aim than that!”

“Next time I’m aiming at you!”

“I wonder what Dani and Loki are like when they have a lovers spat,” Pepper whispered to Darcy.  “If I had to guess it probably involves a lot of pouting and yelling on her end.”

“If he was smart he would just use magic to take her voice away.”

“That’s when the table flipping starts.”

“They’re going to have the scariest kids in the entire universe.”

“Babysitting Dani was a nightmare…I feel sorry for whoever is stuck with her hellspawn.”  She kept peering out the window keeping an eye on Natasha.  “It’s time like this I’m glad we don’t want kids.”

“Yeah, getting a babysitter would be difficult.  ‘I have meetings all day and my wife needs to go to New Zealand for reasons I can’t disclose.  Are you free to watch Natasha Junior and Pepper Junior?  Oh, wait, you aren’t supposed to know about New Zealand.  The Men in Black will be arriving shortly to erase your memory’.”

“Not to mention Natasha would be an absolute mother bear.  She loved spoiling Dani when she was younger.  She still does actually.  She won’t stop fretting over what to get as a wedding gift.”

“What kind of wedding gift would you give to Dani and Loki?”

“Birth control,” Pepper replied without the slightest hesitation.

“Ewwww…I don’t wanna think about them having sex…”

“That’s nothing.  You should’ve seen what Dani got for us as a wedding gift.  A suggestion from Tony is that tells you anything.  A one-thousand dollar gift card to one of the finest adult stores in the country that caters to same-sex couples.”

“I’m afraid to ask what Tony got you.”

“And we were afraid to open it.”

* * *

**Avenger’s Tower, 1:14 PM**

“Suicide bombers strategically positioned throughout the building, with plenty of backup.  Bright side is they took care of the clean sweep for us.”

“Tony.  Of all the times.”  Natasha shook her head and turned off the footage that S.H.I.E.L.D. picked up after rigging the entire building for Pepper’s protection.  She, Tony, Thor, Clint, and Bruce were in what was once Danielle’s bedroom reviewing the footage and planning their next move.  Natasha wanted to storm over to Frost Enterprises and indiscriminately shoot everyone in sight until she ran out of bullets and start strangling those who remained until she reached Emma Frost.  She still had yet to plot her death but her methods would put the KGB to shame.

“About eighty percent of them were all HYDRA too,” Bruce remarked shaking his head.  “They’ve been planning this for a LONG time if so many were hired.  Right under Dani’s nose too.”

“Funny how it happens right as Dani leaves.  They have to know.  She said that they’re radical Norse Neo-Pagans, right?”  Clint looked around the room and waited for feedback.  “And there’s a war brewing up there.  Maybe someone from eight years ago, when Dani and Loki first got involved, tipped them off.  This can’t be a coincidence.  The timing is too perfect.”

“Actually Clint you are correct,” Thor confirmed.  “There exists a creature who can travel throughout the Nine Realms without the assistance of the Bifrost.  Danielle believes that he was the one who brought the war, a war which should be exclusive to the Gods and the giants, here to Earth.  Also, she sends her love and is doing fine.  She wanted me to tell you that.”

“Well, there’s some good news which we’re in desperate need of.”  Tony ran his hand down his face.  “I’ll deal with the press and keep Pepper out of spotlight.  I don’t know how but I’ll come up with something.  Right now we need to focus on her and Darcy.”

“And Bobbi,” Clint added.  “Being in a stressful environment like that while pregnant…It’s just risky, that’s all.”  Before Tony could accuse him of rekindling flames a call came in from S.H.I.E.L.D.

“Tony, you might want to come down here,” Coulson advised.  “And bring Agent Morse with you.  We need her expert opinion on something.”

“If Bobbi’s going I’m going.”  _I hope I managed to get the smell off of Lola…_

“As am I.  I wish to see Jane.”

“I’ll stay here and take care of Pepper.  What about you?”  Natasha looked at Bruce.  “Well, I was just a little worried about Darcy, so I thought I should stay too, just in case.”

“She’s probably a little shaken.  It’s not every day someone gets man-handled by an Enormous Green Rage Monster.”

* * *

**S.H.I.E.L.D. Base, New York Chapter, 1:49 PM**

 

“Alright Bobbi, what are we looking at?”  Coulson passed some x-rays and ultrasound images to her.  “I don’t know why you’re asking me.  I’m not a physician,” she replied as she picked them up and carefully examined each one.  “Clint, please stop looking over my shoulder.”

“Sorry.  Backing up now.”

“I don’t need a physician.  I need someone who understands how the Super Soldier Serum operates.”  She peered over the images at him.  “These are from Steve?  No wonder you called Tony down here…Is he with him right now?”  Coulson nodded.  “Steve is in a stable condition right now, mentally speaking, but we can’t find where this anti-serum has taken root.”

“I’m afraid these won’t tell me much.  Hm?  Is this an image of his lungs?”  She flashed the picture at Coulson who nodded.  “He’s had a vicious chest cold for awhile now, hasn’t he?  Steve can kiss his stable mental condition goodbye.  The anti-serum was definitely airborne and took root in his lungs, disguised as a cold.”

“He’ll need to go under the knife, won’t he?  That’s exactly what he needs right now,” Clint said sarcastically.

“Agreed.  It’ll require invasive surgery.  However, his body is too weak to handle any more foreign substances so you can’t knock him out or give him painkillers.  The heavy-duty ones used for surgical procedures that is; I’m sure they’re giving him something now.  But that sounds triggering to me.  The doctors won’t be able to get close to him if he can see and feel everything during the procedure.  No doubt this was also part of their plan.”  Coulson nodded slowly, a grim expression on his face.  “I’ll…go tell Tony.”  After he left Bobbi turned in her chair and looked up at her ex.

“I’m sorry I threw up on the car and you had to sit through that miserably long lecture.”

“I’m sorry I snapped at you for it.”

“I was aiming for the sidewalk.”

“How are you feeling after the day’s excitement?”

“I’ll manage.  Thanks for coming with this morning.  And for watching out for me earlier.”

“I told you I’m still here.”

“That you did.  You never answered my question though.”  Clint looked down at the ground and nodded slowly, folding his arms over his chest.  “Her name would’ve been Katherine.”

“Back to brighter subjects.  If Frost Enterprises has an anti-serum and their odd version, P.A.G.E., we can safely assume they have information on the original.  If we can get access to that I might be able to recreate it.”

“Can you do that?” Clint asked raising an eyebrow.  “I’m not questioning your skill.  I’m questioning whether or not it’s a smart idea to have you in the lab.”

“We don’t know anyone else who could replicate the serum.  Bruce tried using radiation and we all know how that turned out.  The only other person I can think of who would have a chance at getting it right is currently in another world.”

“What about Jane?”

“It’s not her area of expertise.  Some scientists like to think that just because they excel in one field, they can transfer their knowledge to any other.  I’m not accusing her of being like that but I don’t know her or her skills aside from her accredited specializations.  I’m the only person who can.”

“What if Tony created some sort of robot to do it for you?  You just give the command and it takes care of the mixing measuring for you.”

“That’s not a terrible idea.  Not to say it’s a good one of course.”

“You’re just looking for an excuse to get back into the chemistry labs.”

“So what if I am?  This is a rather legitimate excuse.  No, not an excuse, a reason.  If I have a mask and my skin is covered I should be fine.  Natasha took photos of all their documents that she could get her hands on.  The original formula, the successful formula, it has to be in there.  My greatest concern is the proper concentration.  Too much or too little or something and it could go horribly wrong.”  Her eyes lit up.  “I know you see better from a distance, but that’s in regards to spying and sniping.  Your vision in general is rather sharp.  You might be able to ensure the measurements are exact and accurate.”

“Me?  No way.  No way Bobbi.  If you don’t trust another scientist-”

“I trust you,” she interrupted.  “Steve is one of your closest friends, I know how meticulous and careful you are, and I know how seriously you take your work.  At least think about it.  Please?”

Over in Dr. Foster’s lab Thor did his best to hide how awkward he felt around Jane.  Not only had it been a little over a year since he last saw her, he couldn’t stop thinking about Sif.  How long had she felt that way?  Why hadn’t he noticed before?  And why did that even matter at all to him?

“I’d like to come to tower if that’s alright.  I wanna see how Darcy’s doing.  Being caught in a series of explosions like that, she must be so worked up right now.”

“She is alright.  And in good company.”

“Good company or ‘good company’?” Jane asked with a suggestive raise of her eyebrow.

“I have been gone for awhile.  If there is anything between her and Dr. Banner I would not know.”

“She’s with Bruce right now?” Jane gasped and started chuckling.  “Saw that coming from a mile away.”

* * *

**Asgardian Palace Library**

“So the only way to tell you two apart is personality huh?”  Danielle eyed Vali and Narfi carefully.  “Not true.  Facial expressions.  They give away far more than you’d think.  Learned that from your dad.”

While searching for something on political philosophy Danielle had stumbled upon an anthology of poems from the Romantic era, arguably one of her favorite genres of British literature.  She curled up on one of the extravagant settees and began to power through the collection until the twins finally hunted her down.  Vali felt content after roughly twenty minutes of interrogating her, but was courteous enough to warn her that he would probably come up with more questions so she should be ready.

“Speaking of your dad, do you know where he is?”

“The last we saw of him was in Hel’s room,” Narfi replied.  “She wanted to speak to him in private.”

“I do still need to see Hel too…I’ll head down there and see where he is.”

“OK.  Will you be up here often?”

“Oh yeah,” she grinned as she stood up.  “I’ll definitely be here Vali.  Why?  Wanna spend more time together?”

“Well, if you don’t mind…”

“Of course not!  Why would I mind?”  _Holy shit, these two are so adorable._

“What were you reading?” Narfi asked curiously and nodded towards the book she was holding.  “This?  It’s an anthology of some of my favorite poems to come from the British Isles.”

“What your favorite?” the youngest asked.  Danielle thought for a moment.  “That’s a good question.  Tell ya what.  I have to do some stuff with the Tesseract later today so I’m gonna be kinda busy, so sometime tomorrow I’ll be up here again with an answer for you.  I just need to read through this more and see what my options are.  Sound good?”  He nodded.  “Alright.  Well I will see you two later.”

“Bye Lady Danielle!” Vali waved as she left.  “What do you think?” he asked Narfi eagerly, who nodded in approval.  “I like her.  She’s smart.  Interesting.”

“Isn’t she?  She must have soooooooo many fascinating stories about life on Midgard with those powers of hers.  Hey, do you think she looks Asgardian?  You know, with the blonde hair and the blue eyes and the fair skin?”

“She does.  Sort of like Sigyn, but prettier.”

“Way prettier.”

Danielle left the library beaming.  She absolutely adored the twins; initially she was worried that they would be the most difficult to get along with because of Sigyn’s behavior influencing their thoughts on what it means to have a mother but it did just the opposite.  Even the apprehensive and nervous Narfi gave in and found himself fond of her.  A small part of her felt grateful to Sigyn for that.  The boys had told her early on in their conversation where Hel’s room was and she found the castle increasingly less difficult to navigate, despite its size and seemingly endless hallways.

She knocked on the door to Hel’s room.  “Come in,” a familiar voice from the other side called.  Danielle stepped in and smiled.  “You look like hell,” she joked and the Goddess rolled her eyes.  “You have no idea how many times people tell me that.”

“Probably not.  But you do look like you’re feeling much better.  I heard about how you kicked Garm’s ass and took on Nidhogg yourself.  You’re so badass, ya know that?”

“Thank you Lady Danielle.  I was curious as to how soon we would meet again but I never thought it would be under these circumstances.  I thought it would be your death.  Never did I think I would leave Helheim…And had I been given the option I certainly wouldn’tve left the way I did.”

“Despite what happened down there what you did took serious guts.  Give yourself some credit.  How are you doing now?”

“Much better, thank you.”

“Good.  That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.  I really hate to cut this short but I need to find Loki.  Last I talked to him he was really tense and I just wanna see how he’s doing now.  Also have a rendezvous with the Tesseract, in person this time, and I’d like to be there.  Vali and Narfi said you saw him not too long ago.  Know where he ran off to?” 

“He didn’t tell you?” Hel blinked in surprise.  “He went to Jotunnheim.  He went to confront Angrboda because he knows how terrified you’re becoming, with the nightmares and what not.”

Danielle’s jaw dropped and she did her best to hide her anger, which she did surprisingly well.  _You’re fucking kidding me.  You have got to be…Son of a bitch!_

“Is something wrong?”

“Just the mention of the nightmares, that’s all.”  _I’m starting to get really awesome at lying.  And apparently so is someone else…Fucker promised he wouldn’t go and now…DAMN IT!_   “Well if that’s where he is I suppose I could go work with the Tesseract now, just to get it over with.  I’ll see you later.  Take care.”

“Same to you.”  _And keep your reproductive organs away from my father._

After she left Hel’s room Danielle did her best not to start beating up the building, but only because she had a book in her hands and she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if she damaged it.  She stormed to the room where the Tesseract was kept, passing Frigga on the way.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” the queen asked.  “Is something wrong?”

“Maybe.  Yes.  I don’t know.  I need to use the Tesseract right now.”

“Use it?  Whatever for?”

“I need to find something.  I’m sure it’ll show me plenty of useful information which I’ll definitely make note of but I need to use its ability to send things through time and space to check on something.  Something I think Heimdall might not be able to pick up on.”

She knit her brow.  “What sort of matter could be shielded from his sight?”

“Perhaps more than we’re aware of,” she said with a shrug.  “I don’t know the extent of his abilities or the limitations on them but I know the cube has none.”

“Would you like me to accompany you?  I know your interactions with the cube have not been very comfortable.”  Danielle shook her head.  “No, but thanks.  If you could get my dry erase board up there in case it shows me anything Ragnarok-related, that would be awesome.”  Frigga nodded.  “I shall have my handmaiden Hlín see too it.”

“Great, thank you.”  Danielle continued down her itinerary, scowling as she reached the top of the staircase; she found herself in the room where she had secured Sigyn’s demise, and the room where Loki told her he would wait as long as it took, so long as it meant he could be with her.  She mentally kicked herself to keep from dwelling on the now bittersweet nostalgia and burst into the room housing the glowing blue cube.  It looked smaller than she remembered.

Danielle set the book down and carefully grazed her fingertips over the top of the cube.  A list blue incandescence followed along with her motions.  “Alright pal, you’re supposed to help me out with this Ragnarok nonsense.  Then show me where Loki is.  I swear to Gods if he’s making this worse…Do what you’ve been doing and take my mind elsewhere.  I need to know where he is.”

_Demanding as always…You aren’t going to like what you see._

“You again…Yeah, I’m sure I won’t.  Show me regardless.”

_Promise not to break me after you lose what little control over your temper you have left?_

“Sadly I need you, so no, I won’t break you.”

_Alright.  Time for a field trip.  Buckle up for safety._

* * *

**Jotunnheim**

 

Jotunnheim looked no different than the last time Loki had been there, though perhaps it was in worse condition than before; it was very hard to tell having not seen it prior to losing the casket, thus having no frame of reference.  It was also just as bleak as he remembered.  Danielle was right much to his annoyance as he felt himself growing exponentially bitter just by the sight of the enormous icicles alone.  Just like his first time there, technically second if his birth were taken into consideration, it looked uninhabited but he knew where the sad excuse for a throne was having approached it twice before; if Angrboda was anything like what she used to be the sad excuse for a ruler would be there.  Hardly to his surprise she was, and her facial expression was an odd combination of expectant, impatient, and pleased.

“I was wondering how much longer you would keep us waiting.”

“Us?”  He looked around.  “Either my vision is starting to weaken or you’re using the wrong pronoun.”

“Oh it’s just you and me right now.  I wanted a private audience for when you finally arrived, to discuss logistics.  Current ruler to future ruler.”

 _And Danielle was right about that too…Wonderful._   “You think I came for the throne of Jotunnheim?”

“And you did bring the casket, yes?”

“I came to deliver a warning, no more.”  She looked at him confused.  “A warning?  If my role as temporary ruler has offended you-”

“You can keep the damn throne, it’s inconsequential to me.”

“What?” she gasped, taken aback.  “But it’s yours.  You’re the rightful king.  We’ve been waiting for your return for so long now, and you’re going to turn your back on us?  Your own people?  You’re King Laufey’s son-”

“Only in blood,” he replied sharply and she narrowed her eyes.  “I see.  So that’s why you’ve come.  Still playing pretend are we?  That name, ‘Loki Odinson’, it leaves such a revolting taste on the tongue.”

“In the end, throne or no throne, I could be content with either.  What I can’t say I’m very content with is the knowledge of you imposing Jotunnheim’s Pure Blood Law on Asgard as an excuse to try and justify any attempts at killing my betrothed, and the harm it could also bring to three of my sons.”

“You…would go to war…with your own people…for a world that isn’t yours and a woman who isn’t worthy of you?  You’ve either been completely brainwashed by them or you’ve lost your mind.  I can’t believe what I’m hearing.  Ah, that’s right, you’re the Liesmith.  You’re just saying all this to get a good laugh at my expense before taking what’s rightfully yours.”  She nodded in understanding.  “Well played, Laufeyson.  Before you take the throne we should return the casket to-”

“If only you were so lucky,” he interrupted with a slight shake of his head.  “I do not have the casket with me nor do I have any intention of handing it over.  Especially not if your army has its sights set on Danielle.”

“She isn’t the threat,” Angrboda replied with odd sincerity.  “If she were to bear you a child however…That’s a risk we can’t allow to take.  That our king shouldn’t take.”

“You took no issue with violating the law as an adolescent,” he remarked.  “Three times at that.  And yes, Hel has told me who the real perpetrator was.  I’m not going to let that go either.”

“I was just an adolescent then, I knew nothing of politics.  I hope you’re paying attention because I will only say this once.  You already lost three children at my hand.  Would you like to lose three more?  If not, take the throne and we will leave your half-breeds alone so long as they do not reproduce and the tainted blood dies with them.  And the woman needs to go back to Midgard where she belongs, of course.”

“If you so much as even think about coming near them I will not hesitate to finish what I started decades ago and destroy what remains of Jotunnheim.”  She smirked.  “Who’s the one declaring war now?  Then you will be without a home, Loki.  You are the prince of Jotunnheim, the king we’ve been waiting for.  You always have been.  Nothing will change that.  You can claim to be Asgardian but you are no more Asgardian than this new lover of yours.  You already have a throne waiting for you here.  You’re looking at it!  Why do you hesitate?  You still crave it.  The power.  The respect.  The control.  The recognition of your capabilities.  It’s all right here, waiting for you.  But you went elsewhere to find it.  And what good did that do you?  The love of a family that isn’t yours and the heart of weak, unworthy creature?  Settling for a human…Of all things…”

“Say what you will about humans but if you find yourself unfortunate enough to cross her path…I would say Gods have mercy on you but I highly doubt Hel would extend the courtesy.  Not after what you did to her or her brothers.”  Angrboda raised an eyebrow.  “You honestly expect me to fear this little lover of yours?  You’re only attracted to power when it’s something you can take for yourself.  You’re far too domineering in nature to take on someone with notable strength of their own as a lover.  If you can’t control it you try to destroy it.  It’s just who you are, how you are.”

He nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face.  “I used to think so too until I met her.  Wasn’t expecting that.  She has a terrible habit of surprising people in the most frustrating ways which always seem to work out to their benefit in the end.  I still don’t know how she does it.  I don’t think she knows how she does it.  I don’t think she knows how she does most of what she does.  Or that she even does it.  She’s confusing.  In the intriguing sense of the word, not the irksome.  That isn’t to say her capricious antics aren’t headache inducing on occasion.”  Angrboda was becoming increasingly annoyed by his tone; he was intentionally undermining her words by continuing on about how the very things one would expect him to despise about Danielle were the very things which caught his attention, and more importantly kept it.

“Enough of the sarcasm.”

“Oh I’m not being sarcastic, I’m completely serious,” he replied with faux sincerity as he put a hand over his heart, mocking tone unwavering.  “If I had to sum up Danielle in five words they would be beautiful, intelligent, dedicated, loud, and stubborn.  Sometimes only for the sake of being stubborn.  The sixth word would be frustrating."

“How stupid do you think I am to believe that you would want to be with some _thing_ like that?"

“I **love** a good challenge,” he said placing heavy emphasis on the second word.  “And if there’s one thing that woman undeniably is, it’s a never-ending challenge…in all senses of the word.”

“If you continue not to take me seriously-”

He continued the facetious act.  “I’m being very serious.  She is challenging.  I haven’t come with a declaration of war.  It’s a forewarning, one which _you_ should be taking very seriously.  She is to be approached with caution.  Just doing my part to be considerate to…’my people’.  You should be thanking me for trying to spare you from having to deal with her.”  His eyes narrowed into a harsh glare.  “But if you do make the foolish decision of challenging her, I assure you she will make you regret it in a matter of seconds because that is all the time she’ll need to break you in half.”  _Even if I can’t instill fear in her, she can’t say I never warned her._

“She is just a human.  No matter how remarkable you make her sound she is only an insect.  Easy to crush.  If you were as smart as I like to think you are you’re merely taking advantage of this woman until she is no longer ‘entertaining’ enough for you.”

“No longer entertaining?  When Muspelheim freezes over.  I take it the rodent was careful to omit exactly what it is she’s capable of.  Where to start, where to start…The Tesseract chose her as its wielder, if that says anything at all to you.”

Angrboda burst out laughing.  “You have quite the sense of humor.  Wield the Tesseract…Next you’re going to tell me she can carry twice her weight and has incredible speed

“Twice her weight?  Don’t be ridiculous.  She can carry three times her weight.  The speed could use improvement though.”  _Not to mention her ridiculous strength which I can only hope she doesn’t use against me when I come back.  I made a promise, and I broke it.  But I did this for her.  In time she’ll recognize that.  Until then-_   His thoughts were interrupted when he heard her voice echo in the back of his mind.

_Do what you’ve been doing and take my mind elsewhere.  I need to know where he is._

He tried not to wince.  _Speaking of wielding the Tesseract…How did she know I was gone?  The only person who knew was Hel.  And she agreed it would be best if I told Danielle I left.  Though she never said she wouldn’t tell her herself.  Why would Hel try to convince me to break my promise?_   Before he could meditate on it more he felt a strangely familiar sensation jolt his system, then something long and metallic was resting in his palms.  He looked down and saw the very scepter the Chitauri had given him, the one powered by the Tesseract itself.  The only way something like that could be recreated would be by the cube, and seeing as Danielle was currently operating it he could only assume the was her long distance way of telling to finish with a strong warning and come back to Asgard where her lack of temperament awaited him.

_Do me another favor Tesseract, if you don’t mind.  Give him five minutes before that thing possesses him again like it did during New York, and I use him like a marionette.  Asgard time or Jotunnheim time?  Whichever is quicker, I guess._

“You don’t come declaring war and yet here you stand before me with a weapon in your hands?”  Angrboda raised an eyebrow at him and started looking over her shoulders.  He could hear the sound of footsteps from behind her but no one emerged from the shadows.  He fought a nervous laugh, the scepter serving as both a weapon in the event that he need it but more importantly a way of telling him she knew where he was, may very well be watching his every move and hearing his every word, and was no doubt in a rather foul mood.  As soon as he returned he wanted to get to the bottom of what Hel told her, highly suspicious after what she had said earlier about feeling fearful and jealous.

“This old thing?  Just Danielle’s way of saying hello.  It’s powered by the Tesseract, in case you couldn’t tell.  And you think she’s not a threat to you…How delightful it must be to live in such ignorant bliss.”

“If she’s so intent on threatening me why not come here herself?  Are you her messenger now?”

“No, I came of my own volition.  She has better things to do than waste her time with the likes of you.”  He heard the footsteps behind Angrboda come closer, the figures behind her now visible but she put up a hand to stop them.  “Remember this is King Laufey’s son.  He is not to be touched.”

“Except by Danielle.”  Angrboda’s face went flush with anger and he merely laughed it off.  “I love diplomatic immunity.  As enjoyable as this conversation has been I do have fiancée to return to.  If I were you I would avoid her.  She really doesn’t like you.”  He nodded towards the scepter.  “In case you couldn’t tell.  May our paths never cross again.”  Angrboda was about to reply but he was pulled from Jotunnheim via the power of the Tesseract and found himself back in the Asgardian palace, right outside the room he was sharing with Danielle.  Inside he heard a faint tapping sound, probably her fingertips on the balcony railing.  The scepter disappeared as he opened the door.

“Danielle, before you say anything I think Hel-”  She raked her nails along the railing making an obnoxious screeching sound, and slowly turned around, back against the golden railing.  “So!” she began in the same emphatic tone Tony used when they told him and Steve about the engagement.  “How was Jotunnheim?  Wait, no, don’t tell me.  Really cold and really miserable.  Funny, ‘cause that’s exactly how I feel right now!  Remember that whole ‘I’m afraid you won’t trust me anymore’ thing?  And how it wasn’t an issue?  Well guess what?  It is now!”

“Yes, I know I broke my promise, but I need you to listen to me.”

“Why should I?” she asked head cocked to the side.  ‘Cause in case it wasn’t already clear enough I’m not a happy camper right now.”

“I’m sure you aren’t.  Nor would I expect you to be.  Give me a chance to explain why I went, because I think Hel manipulated the both of us.”  Danielle raised an eyebrow at him.  “The fuck?  OK, this I have to hear because I could really use a good laugh right now.”

“How did you know I was in Jotunnheim?”

“Hel told me.  She looked surprise that I didn’t know, like you deliberately kept it from me.”

“I did.”

“Really?!  Ya don’t say!”

“Damn it just let me finish!”  She rolled her eyes and waved a hand.  “Fine, whatever, let’s hear your half-assed story.”

“When I was with Hel, alone as per her request, she convinced me to go to Jotunnheim.  This would have been before you saw her.  Before I would have had the chance to tell you myself, which I intended on doing.  But you said Hel acted surprised that you didn’t know, as if you should have been informed already.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly how she sounded.”

“I told her I should be the one to tell you.  I never told her not to tell you.”

“Loophole fishing.  She really is your daughter.  OK.  Why?”  She put her hands on her hips, still livid but her anger was starting to divide up between Loki and Hel.

“She talked about feeling jealous, then anxious to have someone expected to act as her mother.  I told her you were just as nervous because of the expectations they might hold for you.  Then she started talking about the cause of said standards.”

“Angrboda.”

“I told her about the nightmare you had with her in it and the reaction you had to it.  I only made mention of her, of course, nothing more.”

“Appreciated.  But now that you brought it up I’m thinking about it again.  Yay you.”

“Hel said that if you were so concerned with being a good mother then you should confront Angrboda because the fact that she lives threatens Narfi, Sleipnir, and Vali’s well-being.  I told her you wouldn’t because of that nightmare and she said I should go and that it would be like what you did for me eight years ago.  It would enrage you, but eventually you would come to appreciate the reasons why.  She also quickly picked up on my dislike of the topic of Jotunnheim and thought that you may be projecting your fears from the nightmare onto me, convinced that going there would have an adverse effect."

“Did it?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“Called it.  In other words she told you that you should go to spare me the trouble of having to do it to make myself look like a good parent, and that you would be doing everyone a favor in confronting her.  And I wasn’t able to call her out on her cover, so she was able to get away with pretending that she was surprised I didn’t know.  She wanted me to be under the impression that you were trying to keep it from me.  Mission accomplished.  But why?  Did she honestly think we wouldn’t put the pieces together?”

“The answer may be in your nightmares, but she was being sincere when she voiced jealousy of being replaced.”

“In my nightmares, huh?  Joy.  One of many things I’d rather not think about right now.  I was tempted to check on my father but…I can’t.  I need to keep my focus here.”  She went silent for a moment, deep in thought, then sighed and shook her head.  “You didn’t break your promise.  I did say go if dire circumstances called for it which weren’t decided by your temper.  And you went for the sake of me and your six kids, not because you were just pissed off.  So…technically you didn’t break your promise.  What about Hel?  What do we do about Hel?  I mean…she thought that one spat alone would be enough for whatever she wanted, right?  Either she was very confident or very desperate, like there was a time limit.  Do you think she was trying to sabotage the engagement?”

He nodded.  “It seems likely, though I don’t know why.”

“Maybe she really does just hate stepmothers in general,” the blonde grumbled.  “She was really psyched about us being together.  Not sure what could change that.  The thought of being replaced, it wouldn’tve just came to her, would it?  She did say she thought wouldn’t see me again until I died so it’s not like she was waiting for all of this to happen.  Something must’ve popped up recently, like actually being around me and not having seen me again when I died.  Argh, this is confusing.  But since that was your intention, thanks for going and trying to deal with Angrboda.”  She approached him and wrapped her arms around his waist.  “We can deal with Hel later.  How are you feeling?  Aside from relieved that I no longer feel the need to rip your head off?  ‘Cause you did say going there…It screwed with your head a little.”

He put his hands on her shoulders and pressed his forehead to hers.  “She thought I came to take the throne.  She wouldn’t stop talking about how I was more or less a traitor and I already had a crown waiting for me there, that being here is just a charade, that I belong in Jotunnheim.”

“I call bullshit,” she replied with a slight frown.  “I don’t plan on relocating to Jotunnheim anytime soon, and I think it’s been firmly established that you belong with me.  So if I’m not going there then by default, neither are you.  End of story.  Damn, you are extremely tense.  OK, now a small part of me is considering going over there just to fuck her up.”

“I would greatly appreciate that.”

“Anything for you.  I think I know something that might make you feel a little better though.”  She grinned.  “I have blackmail on Sif, if you’re interested.”

“If?  When has that ever been a question?”

“It gets better,” she added sing-song.  “Depending on how ya word it and who you’re talking to, it can also be used against Thor.”

“When was the last time I told that I love you?”

“Earlier today.”

“Oh, well then I’ve already met my quota.”

“No blackmail for you.”

“A bribe in exchange for blackmail?  Danielle Olivia, have you no shame?”

“Absolutely not.  I’m marrying you out of my own free will,” she teased.  “Anyway, you didn’t hear this from me.  But I just so happened to be within proximity when she saw him off.”

“Go on.”

“Jane definitely has competition.  Not just because of Sif’s advances, but because Thor…doesn’t know what he wants.  What or who.  He’s conflicted.”

“Interesting…I suspected it might be mutual, but merely harmless infatuation to fill that void until he saw Jane again.”

“I don’t think so.  Because he was seriously thinking about the possibility of being with Sif if things didn’t work out with Jane.  Here’s the best part.  Sif is setting him up for failure.  She said she doesn’t see herself as the backup plan, but rather the improvement on a failed first attempt.  And she asked him if things don’t work out with Jane would he wait for another human woman, or would he return to Goddess who’s been waiting for him?  That was when she kissed him.  He didn’t resist.  And it was…It’s hard to describe, and I’m more show than tell anyway.  But it went something like this…”

Needless to say the conversation quickly went in a different direction.

* * *

**Vanaheim**

“Who are we?”

“Vanir.”

“And what does that mean?”

“We are peacemakers and peacekeepers.”

“And before there is peace there must be what?”

“Conflict.”

“This war is like a necessary evil, as the humans call it, and unlike Asgard we have no support beyond our borders.  I think we should accept the offer.”

“Frejya, don’t tell me you trust her.”

“Of course not.  Let her do what she wants.  With Thor out of the way our odds of winning increase exponentially.  After we kill her, take Thor as a servant in Midgard to oversee it for us to maintain peace there, and then we annex Asgard.”

“Do you think that will work?”

“We need outside support.  She came to us.  If she fails or betrays us she is but one person who can easily be done away with.”

“This is true.  She wouldn’t be hard to kill.”

“Do you accept her offer, brother?”

“Reluctantly.  She must be closely monitored.”

“Agreed.”

Freyr and Frejya rose from the small table meant for two they were seated at and unlocked the door leading back out into the throne room where their guest waited patiently as they deliberated her offer.  They both reassumed their respective thrones.  “After careful consideration,” Freyr began, arms outstretched on either side of the throne, “we accept your offer.”

“But you are not to act until the natural effects of Yggdrasil’s decay reaches Midgard, when Thor will be most distracted.  The same can be said for his allies there,” Freyja added.  “If you violate these terms you will executed.”

“There will be no need for that.  If he’s distracted he will be easier to control.  And with him under my spell you needn’t worry about any interference from him.  Thank you for taking the time to meet with me and consider my offer Lord Freyr, Lady Freyja.”

The Queen of Vanaheim grinned.  “Not at all.  We greatly appreciate the offer, Amora.”


	12. Lucky Number Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is gonna be rather short because like I said before we're alternating between couples/situations/realms...BUT it's something a lot of you have been waiting for so that makes up for it. That probably gave it away. Just act surprised if you figured it out :)
> 
> Some PG-13 Danoki content. I honestly don't think I'll ever be able to write a lemon for those two, just mildly graphic implicit fun.

Despite the fact that it was early evening it was far too quiet for Hel’s liking.  There was no sound of Vali and Narfi playing out in the halls, Sif sparring with the Warriors Three, Odin speaking with Heimdall or the guards, but most importantly there was no yelling or slamming of doors.  If an argument had broken out between Loki and Danielle they kept it contained within the room, both the sounds and the argument itself.

“That’s impossible,” Hel thought to herself and nervously summoned her book.  “Perhaps he isn’t back yet.”  As she anxiously leafed through the pages the sounds of footsteps and jovial voices from outside hit her ears.  “What is everyone so happy about?  Are they hosting a celebration?  No, no, no, no, please let it just be someone’s birthday…”  She found the page she was looking for and put a hand to her mouth.  “How…is that…possible?” she breathed.  “She can’t suddenly be…In only a day’s time?  I looked but hours ago and there was nothing…Damn it.”  She squeezed her eyes tightly and exhaled heavily.  “I forgot to take into account the time he spent with her on Midgard.  Roughly a week elapsed and now…I was too late.”  The book vanished and she threw herself back on her bed.

“Hel!” Vali cried excitedly, this time knocking before slamming the door open.  Vacant eyes fixated on the ceiling she groaned loudly, “What?”

“Father went to Jotunnheim.  He just told grandfather about it.  And Lady Danielle used the Tesseract to see him while he was there and it created this weapon for him while he told off Angrboda.  And now he’s back and there’s gonna be a celebration dinner. Come on, get dressed, it’s a…What did Lady Danielle call it?...A black tie affair!  So dress up really pretty!  She looks so pretty in her dress.  It’s purple.  Hardly a surprise,” he added with a slightly haughty laugh, now seeing himself as the resident expert on Danielle second to Loki.

“What are we celebrating?”

“You know what we’re celebrating!  It’s for her return and their engagement.  What else would we be celebrating?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care.  I’ll be out in a little while.”

He cocked his head to the side as he closed the door behind him.  “What’s wrong?”  She slowly sat up, hands planted on the bedding behind her.  “Have you ever wondered what would happen if they had a child?” she asked quietly.

“Then I wouldn’t be the youngest anymore.  And it would be the very first half-jotunn, half-human, wouldn’t it?  That’s exciting to think about.”

“He’s been with her for eight years.  We, on the other hand, are like strangers to him.  If they had a child who do you think he would pay more attention to?”

“The baby, obviously.  Babies need lots of attention because they’re small and needy and can’t take care of themselves.”  She shook her head.  “Never mind.  I’ll be out in a little while.”

* * *

**Sif’s Room, a Few Minutes Earlier**

 

“I would trade this in for my old work clothes any day,” Danielle griped as Sif helped clasped the back of Daniell’s dress together.

“It can’t be _that_ bad, having to dress this way.”

“I hate having to dress formally,” she whined as Sif hooked the last clasp together.  “There.  Done.  You, Lady Danielle, look very much like Asgardian royalty.”  She stuck out her tongue and faked a gag.  “Gross.”  Sif frowned at her and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her to the other side of the room.  She made her stand in front of a large standing mirror.

“Look at your reflection and tell me that you don’t like what you see,” she said sternly, standing behind the girl as she started to brush out her hair with a solid gold comb with a silver rose painted on it.  “It is a strange color combination.  Blonde hair with green in it, dark blue eyes, a gold engagement ring with green and black gems on it, and a purple dress with black lace over the front of the underbust corset.  I do like how the sleeves are unattached.  That doesn’t look very…regal.  It looks casual.”  She put her hands on her hips and took a good, hard look at her reflection.  “I guess I can cope with it,” she joked with a grin.  “I’ll have to get used to it anyway.  But I was serious when I told Loki I’m wearing jeans on the throne.”

“The queen doesn’t have a throne,” Sif pointed out as she took Danielle by the shoulders and turned her around to smooth out her bangs.  She herself was wearing a wine red gown and instead of having her glossy black hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, she braided it and pinned it in a circle on the back of her head.  Rubies intertwined throughout the braid like a crimson crown.

_Thor’s color…Honestly Sif.  Can’t fault ya for having feelings but…still…_   “Yeah, I know, but that doesn’t mean I won’t sit on it.  That whole ‘stand there and look pretty and make heirs’…Not me.  Not gonna happen.  If I’m queen then I’m gonna have just as much authority and capability as my husband.  Tag team effort.”

“Good luck changing millennia of tradition.”

“Don’t need luck.  I have moxie.  Thanks for letting me borrow this dress by the way.  I’m guessing Vali told you purple is my favorite color?”  Sif shook her head.  “He said no such thing.  In fact, this isn’t mine.  It was given to me so I could help you put it on, seeing as you aren’t accustomed to having to squeeze into a corset yet.  And you tend to put up a fuss when having to dress like this.”

_Yet?  Lovely._   “By who?”  _Dumb question._

“Loki.  He used his magic to create a multitude for you before leaving for Midgard.  They should be in your armoire in the room you now share with him.  He went out of his way to furnish it to accommodate the both of you,” she explained as she set down the comb.  “I wonder if we should do something with your hair…It’s rather short though…Perhaps a simple braid on this side, opposite your bangs…”

“Loki made this?  He was giving me such a hard time about having to dress up.  He knows it’s one of my biggest pet peeves.  Wait a second!  This fits PERFECTLY.”  She balled her fists and narrowed her eyes in suspicion.  “And he made it _before coming_ to get me?  How did he get the measurements accurately if he made them before coming to see me after eight years?”  Her lips curled into a thin line and she shook her head.  “Fucking voyeur.  Can’t say he did a terrible job though.  He definitely took into account my hatred for looking too dressy.”  She turned around to look at her reflection again.  “I guess I could get used to this.  No way am I gonna be as extravagant as Frigga.  I also like the geometric pattern with the lace over the corset though.”  She traced a diagonal line across the lace with her finger, then narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to the side.  “That’s not…Sif, look at this.  Do you see that?  The series of interlocking runes running down in diagonal lines?”

The warrior Goddess moved in front of Danielle and studied the outfit, a fist under her chin.  “Yes, now that you mention it, I do.  Do you…know what it says…?” she asked cautiously.  The blonde nodded slowly.  “Oh yeah.  Son of a bitch.  This dress basically means ‘property of Loki’ since his name is all over the damn corset.  He knew I would notice too.  And I think I know exactly what would happen if I called him out on it.  Something to the effect of ‘If you dislike it so much, take it off’.  Son of a mother fucking mother fucker.”

“Well, to be fair-”

“It’s Loki,” she said finishing Sif’s sentence, eliciting a shrug.  “You were the one who told him he had to marry you,” she reminded.  “Indeed I did.”  Danielle’s eyes became distant and dreamy as she started to reminisce.  Sif rolled her eyes.  “The two of you act like love struck adolescents.”

“So I haven’t changed since I was last here, basically.  Did you say ‘the two of you’?  What was he doing?”

“As much as he hated having to comply with the Allfather’s command of an arranged marriage he couldn’t hide his excitement regarding the prospect.  Hogun and I were keeping track of how many times he said something to the effect of ‘I hope she says yes’.  We lost count after fifty.  This was but a few days after he was told he would have to go retrieve you.  It was so cute.  That’s not a word I ever thought I’d use when talking about Loki.”  Danielle tried not to blush at the thought.  “Really?  ‘Cause it comes to me pretty naturally.”

“I can’t imagine why,” she grinned.  “Are you ready?”

“Ugh, this is like making public appearances with my dad…but worse…because it’s what my entire life is becoming…I’m as ready as I’ll ever be I suppose.”

“Look at it this way.  The sooner you’re out there, the sooner you can get back at Loki for what he did to the dress.”

“I like you.  I like your thought process.  You have a very agreeable thought process.”  Danielle felt an all too familiar pain in her stomach.  Startled, she put her hands on her abdomen and looked down confused.  “What the hell?” she breathed.

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head.  “Nothing.  Sometimes in those nightmares I get these weird stomach pains which feel like my insides have turned to ice, and I had it just now…in real life…which has never happened before.  Then again I did handle the cube earlier for the first time in eight years, after I was ‘gifted with the privilege’ of being its mouthpiece.  That’s probably what did it.  Sensations from the nightmares bridging over to reality now that I’m making contact with the real thing mentally and physically as well.”

“It’s a strange thought, the Allfather’s most precious relic having this bond with you.  Harmless to the touch.  Even other Gods can’t handle it without feeling some sort of pain.”  Sif opened the door and extended her arm towards the exit.  “After you, my queen.”  Danielle stuck out her tongue at Sif as she passed her and stepped out into the hall, exhaling deeply.

“Do I really look okay?” she whispered as they walked side-by-side, smoothing out the fabric more than necessary and tugging at the gown in random places.  “It feels so weird wearing this…”

“Yes, you look fine.  You aren’t much one for compliments are you?” the warrior Goddess noted as Vali sprinted by then skidded to a halt and ran up to Danielle, tugging at her arm and spinning her around to face her.  “Is that your dress?” he gasped loudly admiring the atypical style.  “It looks so exotic.”

“What about me?  How do I look?” she asked faking a curtsy.  He smiled.  “It looks very nice on you.  I’m going to make Hel get her lazy ass out of her room and come join us.  I don’t know why she’s been so irritated lately…Maybe the celebration will help.”

“Alright, I’ll see you both out there.”  She ruffled his blond hair before he ran off again and turned back to Sif who was smiling warmly.  The blonde shrugged.  “What?”

“Your first day here and already you’re acting very motherly.”

“I had some practice with Fenrir last time I was here,” she laughed as they continued on to the enormous hall, every guard they passed bowing to her.  Sif nodded.  “There’s that, yes.  But word has gotten out that you ordered Ratatosk to be brutally tortured and left for dead after learning of his plans.  The Allfather confided in the council members that it was because those plans put Fenrir in immediate danger.  **That** is how a true Asgardian mother protects her children.”  The blonde scoffed as the jovial sounds grew closer.  “That was me being merciful.”

“I am eager to see those special skills of yours.  I remember seeing your father-”

“Dad.”

“Yes, right, your _dad_ use them when the Chitauri came here.  And you as well briefly, but they must have changed by now.”  She nodded.  “Yeah, but I’m saving them for combat.  See, that thing requires a power source.  After that it’s useless until it connects with the power source again and recharges.  Sort of like a hibernation.  And I have no power source for it here.  I need to use it sparingly.  The strength and speed and all that stuff, well I suppose I could throw around a boulder or two if everyone really wants to see how strong their queen-to-be is.”  As they grew closer every scent suddenly assailed her senses at once, initially pungent and revolting making her cringe but her appetite got the better of her and suddenly everything smelled delicious.  She didn’t remember the food smelling that way the last time nor was she that hungry seconds prior, but she found it inconsequential and likely a side effect of adjusting to life in this new realm.

“They’re also going to want to speak with their queen to be, meet her in person.”  Danielle groaned.  “As long as I don’t have to sign autographs…Wait, no, that’s not a thing here.  There’s that to look forward to I guess.  I’m gonna be thrown around the entire room all night long so everyone can get a piece of me, right?”

“That’s one way of looking at it.  Even Forseti is eager to see you.”

“Why?  I thought he hated me.”  _Why am I so fricken’ hungry?_

“He still isn’t fond of you but he wants to know more about the Midgardian tradition of officiating a binding contract with one’s smallest finger.”  Danielle burst out laughing, a hand on her stomach and the other on her forehead.  “Are, are you serious?” she gasped.  “The pinky swear?  He isn’t even the God that oversees binding contracts.  Wouldn’t Bragi want to know about it?”

“They both do, but Bragi is a little nervous about approaching you.”

“Why?  I’m his future sister-in-law.  Am I really that intimidating?” she asked with a tiny grin and Sif shook her head in amusement as they finally reached the enormous hall where the dinner was being held.  It looked even bigger than Danielle remembered and to her surprise and delight was adorned with dark purple banners with silver trim and other regal décor, the colors of DIGITAL.  She put her hands over her mouth and gasped loudly into her cupped palms.

“No, it’s because you’re their future queen,” Sif replied with a smile after seeing how awestruck the young woman was.  The boisterous crowd hushed ever so slightly upon seeing the two of them, specifically Danielle.  “Time to go formally introduce yourself to your people.”

“Looks like I won’t get to punch Loki in the face after all for what he did to the dress.  Not with such a crowd,” she said somewhat dejectedly as Sif pulled the reluctant blonde along into the mass of people and food.  Chuckling she replied over the noise, “I don’t think many would hold it against you if you did.”  Danielle was by no means a wallflower but Sif had made a promise to Thor before she and Loki returned that she would help her integrate into her new life; he only trusted Loki to show her so much of it (specifically the library and their bedroom).  As Sif took her around Danielle felt a bit like a ragdoll being thrown across the room.  That’s not to say she wasn’t enjoying herself, but she was literally being jerked about at any given moment as soon as Sif spotted someone else for her to meet.  Her throat had grown raw from talking and she and Sif finally took a break to eat, the warrior Goddess watching in mild disgust as the blonde destroyed a boar with prowess that would put Volstagg to shame.

“Look like an Asgardian, parent like an Asgardian…eat like an Asgardian.  You’re really giving this your all, aren’t you?”

“Um hungreh, shoo meh (I’m hungry, sue me),” Danielle replied as she continued tearing into the meat.  Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand the blonde asked, “Have you seen Loki?”  She shook her head.  “No, I haven’t.  And I don’t know what to make of that…That’s not to imply I suspect he’s up to anything of course,” she added quickly.  “I’m not trying to incriminate him.” 

She chuckled.  “Sif, I know what you meant.  And honestly it wouldn’t surprise me if he was up to no good.  My drink has yet to freeze…”  She cast a glance at her goblet.  Despite the tantalizing aroma something made a red flag go off in Danielle’s head when she neared the alcohol so she was drinking cider made from Idunna’s apples instead, something she would be consuming a great deal of from now on.

The hairs on the back of Danielle’s neck stood on end.  Out of her peripheral vision she caught a gossamer black gown and piercing, malicious green eyes.  Pretending not to notice Hel’s inexplicable hostile glare she kept the conversation with Sif afloat, all the while keeping her senses honed in on her future stepdaughter; should she make even the slightest motion such as raising her goblet to her lips Danielle would know.  From the other side of the banquet hall, where Odin had been deliberately keeping Loki away from Danielle so she would have a chance to socialize (and to keep them from trying to sneak out as they did last time) Hel’s strange body language was also noticed though it had yet to be decoded.

“Sabotage the engagement?  What would she gain by doing that?”  Odin was surprisingly neutral about what happened in Jotunnheim or the fact that Loki even went in the first place.  He was more concerned about Hel’s behavior.

“Unfortunately I have yet to master the art of mind reading so until I do, we wait for her to tell us.  Implicitly or explicitly.”  Despite Danielle’s attempt to calm him down he was less bothered by the conversation with Angrboda than before but still very livid with Hel and made little effort to hide it.

“I didn’t think being concerned with competing for your attention would drive her to such lengths.” Loki had to bite his tongue.  _Of course you didn’t.  But is it Danielle she believes herself to be competing with?_   He eyed his daughter carefully from a distance and when she made the mistake of turning her head in his general direction he immediately glared at her.  She scowled and angrily stormed out of the banquet hall without warning.  Now she not only knew her plan had failed but they were aware of her attempt as well.

“We need to keep an eye on her.  I sincerely hope that this is merely the stress of Ragnarok wearing her out, and because of her connection to the Tesseract she’s taking out her frustration on Lady Danielle.”

“When do you plan to tell them?”  _Assuming you do._

“Tomorrow.  I don’t want it to ruin the celebration.  Your celebration.”

“They aren’t **all** idiots.  Some know, or at least suspect.”

“Loki, I want you to look at something.”  He put a hand on his shoulder and turned him in Danielle’s general direction.  She was sitting at one of the long tables, Vali and Narfi on either side of her eagerly listening to her retell how she tricked Sigyn into engineering her own demise.  Sif had gone off to find the curious Warriors Three and keep them away from her for now so she could bond a little more with the boys.  She was smiling, she was laughing, and Loki didn’t need to be able to see through a ruse to know she was genuinely happy in that moment in time.  “Tonight is the last night you are going to see that for an unknown amount of time.  It’s unfortunate that your day was ruined because of Hel, but don’t let it spoil your evening.  Enjoy the time left while you can…before we go to war.”  Just as he sent Loki off to be with Danielle, Frigga pulled Odin aside and murmured something in his ear which clearly startled him though he tried to hide it.

“Are you certain?” he asked softly.  Looking slightly offended she replied, “I am the Goddess of fertility, patron of mothers, and you ask if I am certain.  We should tell-”  They both turned and saw Loki was already in the process of stealing Danielle away from the twins.  Before they could stop him Heimdall approached them both.

“Forgive me for any interruption I may be causing Allfather, Your Highness, but I peered into Vanaheim.  They have an ally they are sending to Midgard.  You must send one of your ravens to Thor immediately.”

Over by Danielle the boys were listening intently, wide-eyed and fascinated.  Narfi leaned closer eagerly.  “What happened next?”  Vali nodded excitedly.  “Yeah, then what did the stupid bitch do?”

“Since she was running around using and abusing his magic the Tesseract knew it was Sigyn but recognized the command as your dad’s because it was his magic that issued it. So after she told the cube to destroy her biggest enemy the command was interpreted as if Loki said so.  And who was his biggest enemy at the time?  Sigyn.  So Fenrir leapt in through the large opening and knocked her down.  I bolted across the room and grabbed the cube before it hit the floor because screw gravity, and Fenrir grabbed her with his jaws and went back outside and just started ripping her apart like she was made of paper.”  She took another sip of the golden apple cider and shrugged casually.  “That’s really all there was to it.  Any other requests?”

The youngest twin’s eyes lit up.  “What about the guy your father fought, the one who had the Tesseract, when he first became Captain America?”

“The Red Skull.”

“Yeah, him!  Uncle Thor told us all about the Avengers, but you know that story best.”

_Yeah, him.  Shit.  Keep it together Dani.  Stay strong for the twins.  GOOD GODS I do sound like a mother!_   “I suppose I could tell ya that one.”

“But it will have to be postponed.”  Danielle leaned her head back and grinned.  Loki was leaning over the other side of the table, hands planted firmly on it.  “Will it now?  Well you better have a damn good reason to pull me away from these two.”  Vali latched on to her arm in a way very similar to how she did Loki.  “You need to share her,” he protested and Narfi nodded in agreement.

“I would if I could.  But…”  He looked down at his fiancée and she bit her lip to suppress laughter as soon as she saw the look in his eyes.  “Something urgent has come up which requires your attention.”

“Can’t it wait?” she whined, egging on the oblivious twins and annoying Loki simultaneously.  “Yeah, can’t it?” Vali echoed.  “Please?” Narfi asked folding his hands together.  “We just want one more story.”

“They just want one more story Loki.”  She didn’t break eye contact nor let her grin falter.

Tapping his fingers impatiently he replied, “And I’m sure Sif and the rest have plenty they can tell you but I need Danielle to undress- to address something–”

“All of her stories are about Thor, though.”

“Yeah, they’re all the same and they’re soooooooooooooo boring.”

“See?  They’re boring.  My stories are…more attractive.”  She arched her back in a way that gave him a perfect view below the neckline of the dress.  With the underbust corset there was one small hidden layer she could afford to go without, made apparent by the angle she was at.

_I’m guessing she noticed the runes and this is my punishment.  If it frustrates her so much why not take it off?  Damn, she moved and ruined the view._   “True, they are, they most certainly are far more attention-grabbing and captivating than Sif’s, but I need you to come with me right _now_.”                                                                                                     

“I bet you do,” she snickered.  “But they wanna hear about the Red Skull.  Who can tell them better than me aside from my father?”

He narrowed his eyes at her and her grin widened.  “OK, if it’s really that BIG of a problem then I guess I’ll see what I can do.”  Both twins looked at her with sad faces and she shook her head disapprovingly.  “I need to teach you two how to properly pout.”  She stood up, a very impatient Loki already leaving a trail for her to follow, and bid the twins a good night and promised they would meet again tomorrow.  On her way out she tried not to laugh when she overheard Forseti explaining to Bragi how ‘officiating a binding contract utilizing the smallest finger’ works.  When she caught up to Loki she jumped in front of him, facing him as she walked backwards to their room.

“Why the urgency?” she asked half-curious, half-amused by how irritated he still looked.

“Merely a point my father made earlier.”

“Oh yeah?”  She opened the bedroom door and sauntered in, still walking backwards.  “And what might that be?”  The door closed and locked, Loki vanished, and before Danielle could even roll her eyes to express annoyance she was pulled onto the bed and pushed onto her back.  The real Loki, who couldn’t stand to be around her a second longer save for in the privacy of their quarters, was kneeling over her with a hand pressed firmly on her ribcage to hold her down.  “And my question has been answered,” she muttered to herself.

“I heard very little yelling earlier so I take you like the dress?” he asked, fingertips running along the smooth fabric which clung to her curves.  She sat up slightly and nodded, giving it a once over.  “Yeah, I love it actually.  Though I could’ve done without this.”  She pointed to the lacey detail that spelled out his name in Elder Futhark as she shimmied out of her purple heels.

“I’m sorry it wasn’t completely to your liking.”  He ripped the layer of lace off the underbust, slightly loosening the cinch on the waist.  “Is that better?”  With a wave of his hand to balcony curtain was drawn.  Scattered threads of light from the setting sun seeped into the room.

“Much.  But it’s still kinda tight in the back.”  He motioned for her to sit up and he began to slowly unfasten it.  “You’re taking too damn long,” she growled and he chuckled.  “Haven’t you ever heard of delayed gratification?” he murmured teasingly in her ear.  Feeling his warm breath against her bare skin made her own quicken and with it her impatience.

“Damn it all to Helheim and back, you have no idea how much I hate you.”  _Teeth.  Those are teeth on my neck.  Stupid delayed gratification…What the shit am I doing?!_

“After what you did in the banquet hall I think I have a fairly accurate understandi-”

_SNAP!_

_Clunk!_

Danielle cracked the golden chest plate straight down the middle and threw it on the floor.  “Delay that,” she snapped before putting her hands behind her back and pulling off the corset, carelessly tossing it aside.  She grabbed his jaw and jerked his head towards her so she was facing him.  “Ya want me?  Ya got me.  So stop wasting my fucking time.”  In a matter of seconds she was on her back again, wrists pinned down firmly parallel to her head.  Breathing heavily Loki leaned down and said in her ear, “That may have worked on Midgard but remember where you are now.  You have no authority here.  I, on the other hand, do.”  She grit her teeth and balled her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white.  “See if I give a damn,” she spat, refusing to face him so he couldn’t see the volatile combination of lust, yearning, and anger in her eyes.  It was exactly what he wanted and she refused to give him the satisfaction of having it.

“Oh, but you do,” he said with a smirk. 

“Really?  Last time I checked…I don’t.”

“Your body says otherwise.  In more ways than one.”  He knew she wouldn’t move, too curious and careful to act before observing what he was planning on doing, so he could safely release one of her wrists without fear of retaliation.  He ran his fingertips down along her arm and over her breast, cupping roughly without warning before continuing downward.  She tightened her chest to keep her breathing steady when he did so but he could feel her racing pulse in the wrist he still held and with his lips every time they touched her neck.  When he reached her hip he tore the dress, exposing her tattoo of his symbol.

“Now by all means correct me if I’m wrong,” he began smoothly, holding her other wrist down again when he saw she was about to punch him, “but you adorned your body with that symbol out of your own free will, did you not?”  Staring him down she replied with a heavy exhale, as though confessing to some sort of heinous crime, “Yes, I did.  So what?  I couldn’t get a heart with your name in it.”

“And if memory serves that symbol is **my** symbol, isn’t it?” 

She rolled her eyes.  “Obviously.”  _Self-aggrandizing son of a bitch…_

“You, my dear, are **branded**.  Out of **your** volition you permanently declared that your body belongs to **me**.” _She may very well try to kill me in my sleep tonight after this.  The look on her face will be worth any price._   Feigning a sympathetic sigh as he ignored her vicious leer he added, “I did try to warn you humans that free-will is a very dangerous thing.”

Danielle blinked in absolute shock, mouth slightly agape.  He laughed.  “Don’t look so surprised, I simply couldn’t resist.  And you made it very easy, which I greatly appreciate.”  He glanced at her tattoo. 

“Mark my words, I am going to kill you.  Dunno when, dunno how, but I will.  I will paint Asgard red with you.”  There was a liquid fire coursing through her veins, the anticipation making her almost feverish.  He was just as impatient as she but unlike the domineering and aggressive Danielle, Loki simply couldn’t have her until he had antagonized and teased her to the point where she was begging for it.  He had to break her first.

He chuckled.  “Must you always be so hostile when concupiscent?”  Raising an eyebrow and cracking a tiny grin she said, “I feel like you should already know the answer to that question by now.  So what was the point Odin made?  Not exactly pillow talk but if it made you damn near drag me here…”

His grip on her wrists loosened and she slipped out of the weakened hold, locking her fingers in between his.  She had no idea what he was about to say but the mood had almost been completely killed, and she regretted asking.  “Tonight is our last night where we need not concern ourselves with the impending war.”  She nodded slowly.  The thought hadn’t occurred to her.  Up to this point she was enjoying her time in Asgard, much to her pleasant surprise.  She was most looking forward to spending more time with Loki though that no longer seemed to be on the agenda.

“So once tomorrow comes it’s gonna be Ragnarok this, mass panic that…We’re not gonna have much time to ourselves.  This night could be the last when we can spend any time together.  Come sunrise the focus will shift solely to the war.   Can’t say I’m too thrilled about that part of this whole arrangement.” 

“If I could I would drown the sun so you need not worry about this night ending.  And nothing would exist outside of this room.”  She pretended to ponder for a moment.  “Yeah, I can live with that.  What I can’t live with is my dress being partially shredded.  As in not completely shredded.  As in it looks great and all but it would look better on the floor or out the window for all I don’t care.  So long as it’s not on me right now, or anything else is on me right now, I’m golden.  Not to mention my thigh is getting a little cold so if you could warm that up for me, I’d love you for forever and day.  And didn’t you say something about a problem I need to undress?”

* * *

**Four Hours Later**

After raiding the armoire to verify Sif’s claim Danielle found that, aside from every beautiful dress made just for her all she had to wear were her clothes from Earth.  She asked Loki to conjure a few casual things for her to wear because she “isn’t a Disney princess”, and despite his assertions of how easily they come off compared to Midgardian attire eventually he gave in.  She was thrilled that he even replicated the Captain America pajamas she had as a child, but in a larger size to accommodate her growth since.  Night had finally settled upon Asgard and after getting through more of the anthology, eager to share some of the literary treasures it held with Vali tomorrow, it wasn’t long before she was half-lidded and unable to focus. 

The room was almost completely dark save for a single sliver of moonlight that had crept in.  Danielle folded her hands behind her head as they hit the pillow, staring up at the ceiling.  “Though I was initially pissed off like there’s no tomorrow, I’m glad I’m here.  Even seeing Odin was kinda awesome.  But maybe that’s just because he let me have that fucking squirrel tortured relentlessly.” 

Loki, doing his best to hide an inexplicable and sudden tension was lying beside her.  He shook his head though he wasn’t very surprised and slid an arm beneath her so she was closer to him.  “I still can’t believe you did that.”  She frowned.  “When it comes to people who fuck with my family, mercy and pity and all that crap mysteriously vanish from my vocabulary.”  She turned over onto her side to face him, one arm under the pillow and other atop it with a hand next to her head.  “Whatcha thinking about?”

_Sometimes I wish she wasn’t so observant._   “Cursing the weather,” he sighed.

“Snowing soon?” she asked quietly

“Unfortunately.”

Danielle bit her lip. The last time she came to Asgard he kept trying to antagonize her at dinner by freezing her drink, but only his hand turned blue.  When he froze the corporeal illusion Sigyn it was gone as fast as it came; though she barely saw it she couldn’t resist telling him that blue looks good on in.  But not once had she seen his true form and if Loki had his say he would keep it that way.  He knew that she meant it when she had told him she would love him and want to be with him no matter what he was, but that didn’t mean he wanted her to ever see exactly what it was she was loving.  The presence of winter didn’t equal a change, but it was a very frustrating reminder.

“Cursing it won’t keep it from coming.”  _Resist Game of Thrones reference, that’s so 2013, resist reference…_

“I know.  But that has yet to stop me.”  He glanced over at her.  “Go ahead, get it out of your-”

“Winter is coming!” she exclaimed, sitting up and throwing her fists in the air.  “And there’s always a Stark in Winterfe…Asgard.  Well, there is _now_.”  She lay back down and reassumed the position she was in, his arm waiting there for her.  “OK.  I’m good now.  So what can I do to alleviate some of that?”

“Nothing,” he replied absentmindedly and then grimaced, immediately regretting his words.  Pounding a fist on the bed she declared, “Challenge accepted!”  She quickly calmed down and used her free hand to turn him towards her, resting her hand on his cheek.  “Almost exactly eight years ago in this very room around this time I told that I don’t care what you are, just who you are, and that I’m holding on to you for as long as possible.  Now I think it’s even safe to say not only that, but I also love who you are.  A lot.  Lot, lot, lot, lot.  Here’s something I want you to think about.  I was at that trial.  I heard that entire list of offenses.  Some I knew very little about because they pre-dated New York, some I knew a decent enough about.  And I knew that you were worried I’d say ‘Yeah, fuck it, enjoy your punishment’ after hearing that.  But I didn’t.  In fact, I even stayed and instead Odin was the one who got punished because fuck hi- Oh wait I can’t say that anymore, can I?  Damn it.”  She shook her head.  “Now who am I gonna blame for everything that goes wrong in my life?  I used to do that.  Whenever the copy machine broke down, ‘Fuck you Odin’.  Whenever the delivery guy was late with my beef lo mein, ‘Fuck you Odin’.  ‘Cause obviously everything was all his fault.”

He tried not to laugh considering she was trying to be serious, though her failure seemed to be more successful.  “What?  It’s true.  Yay, you’re almost smiling.  That’s a start.  Anyway, like I was saying, none of that deterred me.  You almost killed my family, destroyed most of New York, and tried to take over Earth.  Knowing that, I still stuck around.  And if that isn’t enough to get rid of me then I think it’s been made pretty clear nothing will.  I am The Parasite.  If that isn’t enough to get rid of me, ya really think it’s gonna faze me that you’re a frost giant?  It’s not like I never knew.  If and when the time comes that I ever see the other form it won’t me faze then either.”  He raised an eyebrow at her.  “ _Other_ form?”

“What am I supposed to call it?  Your realm form?  Both are as far as I’m concerned, because form has nothing to with who you are.  Not a damn thing.  Except when you use it against me like that one time when we were still on Earth and you kissed me right before going to sleep and suddenly my lips were on the verge of cyanosis.  Then it’s a little problematic.  But only a little.  If it did bother me then just knowing alone would be enough for me to say ‘On to the next one’.  Clearly not the case.  And I did kinda sorta tell you that you have to marry me.  No questions asked.  I know this isn’t the same as the self-loathing you were dealing with before, when I was still just a teenager, so I won’t tell you to stop torturing yourself.  Instead I’ll-”  Danielle stopped, eyebrows knit in thought.  “I think I know what Hel’s jealous of,” she said quietly.  _Insides freezing, skin turning blue, crazy appetite earlier today, sensitive nose, maternal instincts..._   She quickly sat up, lifted her shirt slightly, and grabbed his hand.

“I like your theory so far.”

“Shut up,” she hissed as she pressed his palm just below her navel.  The same cold sensation she had felt before returned but this time there was no pain.  When she let go of his hand she said, “Is your palm the color I think it is?”  Before he could respond, though it was unlikely that he would’ve as the shock temporarily stole his voice she added, “Rather is it the same color as the handprint on me?”  He glanced over at her and saw a fading blue handprint on her lower stomach.

“Something tells me that’s not finger paint.  See?  Point exactly.  Most reliable pregnancy test ever.  Couldn’t do that if you weren’t a frost giant.”

“Danielle?”  Loki sat up beside her but she wasn’t paying attention.

“I’m glad my parents are a world away or they would kill me.  No, they would kill you, but my father would definitely give me a stern lecture.”

“ **Danielle**.”

“What?”  He looked at her expectantly, wondering how long it would take to register.  Her eyes widened.  “HOLY SHIT!  Well…this is the worst timing ever.  No less from something half-me, half-you.  Whoa.  Holy mother of insert something here because I can’t think straight right now and FUCK and yeah.  Wow.  Did not see that coming.  Now that I’m gonna be a moody psychopath, maybe you should take me a little more seriously when I say I’ll kill you in your sleep.”

“You’re taking this surprisingly well.”

“You’d prefer I panic and have a meltdown?  ‘Cause I can, if ya want.”  Instead of giving her a verbal response he pulled her against his chest, arms wrapped around her tightly.  “Thank you,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head, “for once again giving me something I never thought I could have.”

“A seventh kid?” she mumbled confused as she returned the embrace.  _Maybe this is that ‘beautiful secret’ the Tesseract mentioned when I told it about the engagement in that one dream._

“A child with the woman I love.”  Forehead to his shoulder she replied, “I love you too.  But I’m gonna get fat and it’s all your fault so I also hate you.”


	13. What's On Your Mind?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Wotan' is the name for Odin in Wotanism and it's the Old English spelling. Anglo-Saxon paganism used the Old English spellings, so references to Thor, Asgard, etc will be in Old English but they're very similar to (Old) Norse so you won't have any trouble figuring them out.
> 
> Steve/Stony fans...please don't kill me. THIS IS NOT A HAPPY CHAPTER.
> 
> But it has awesome Darcy and Darcy/Bruce fluff...Yay?

**Avenger’s Tower, 5:38 PM**

With the help of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents cleverly disguised as fire fighters and the like the situation within the building was contained, but there was no hiding an explosion or a crumbling Stark Industries from the public.  To make matters worse Pepper was seen being taken to the Avenger’s Tower instead of her home leading the world to assume only one thing- something had been rekindled between her and Tony.  She was in no condition to make a public statement fending off the rumors and the paparazzi swarmed the outside of the tower like angry fire ants.  Her home was under S.H.I.E.L.D. surveillance in case any journalist had the gall to break in and ‘find’ a story.

“Seeing as you’ve already been targeted by HYDRA, perhaps now it might not hurt to let the world know you are married.  I’m sure HYDRA knows and they probably wanted to use you to get to us, just like they did with Steve, but…”  _Is now the time for this conversation?  Maybe it will bring her some comfort.  She’s traumatized._  

Natasha was sitting next to a pale, puffy-eyed Pepper.  After taking her to the tower, where she promptly fainted when the shock finally hit her, she woke up in her wife’s room on the bed they were now sharing.  The red-head stayed by her side the entire time and when she came too had J.A.R.V.I.S. check her vitals.  She had been hyperventilating and her pulse and blood pressure were dangerously high; she needed to be given a light sedative to calm her body down immediately before things got worse.  She was weak and shaky which made eating a chore but she had to maintain some semblance of a regular diet or she would stay weak, perhaps even develop anemia.

“But what?” she asked quietly.  Never before had Natasha experienced something as heart-wrenching as seeing the desperation and helplessness in her eyes.  Stroking her soft strawberry blonde hair she replied, “Maybe I’m being selfish.  Maybe I’m jealous that Steve and Tony don’t have to keep it a secret because they don’t technically work for S.H.I.E.L.D., they’re only affiliated.  But I do and I’ve committed so many infractions against the organization’s policies and procedures just to be with you.  And I still have to keep it a secret.  After what happened I can’t help but wonder if letting the world know that you’re married to an Avenger, you might be a little safer.”

“Wouldn’t that make me even more of a target?”  She sat up and Natasha tried to get her back down but she resisted.  “I don’t like it either, that you have to keep secrets from me and I have to keep you a secret to the general public.”  She rubbed her eyes, red and sore from all her crying.  “But Steve and Tony make new enemies every day, not including HYDRA resurfacing.  You?  You still have plenty all over the world, perhaps more than you even know about.  Especially after what happened in Budapest.  Not to mention there’s evidence that R2 is still active.  And I don’t want to put myself in a position where I’m constantly in danger-”

“You did before,” the red-head replied more defensively than intended, folding her arms over her chest.  “Even if Tony wasn’t an Avenger he was still Iron Man.  Still a super hero.”

“I can't believe you just...No, I'm not going to start a fight now.  I've had enough excitement today.  The last thing I should be doing is pissing off an assassin.  And with Tony I was in danger.  I don’t want to be there again.  I don’t think letting the world know is going to scare anyone off.  It might kill the rumors about Tony and me but HYDRA is the only group trying to tear S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers apart.  They know about us.  That’s why they attacked me.”

“They would have regardless.  Blonde hair, blue eyes, German blood.”  Pepper rolled her eyes as her throat started feeling raw again.  “That’s not the point Natasha.  The reason I’ve been able to stay safe since we started dating, since we got married, was because it was a secret.  No one knew and if anyone ever did, God forbid they cross your path.  You can protect me from a distance, not by broadcasting…”  She broke into a coughing fit and Natasha handed her a cup of green tea.  Aside from easing her sore throat it had countless other health benefits which she was in dire need of at the moment.  When she finished it she lay back down and sighed.  “Just because our marriage is a secret doesn’t mean it’s any less valuable than Steve and Tony’s, or when the time comes Dani and Loki’s.”  She put a reassuring hand on her knee.  “I’m the one who was almost caught in an explosion but you look like a hot mess right now.”

“I could have lost you today.  Had Thor not arrived when he did, had he not arrived at all, I would have.  I’m forever indebted to him for that.  I tried to get there as fast as I could but…I wasn’t fast enough.  And if Clint wasn’t nearby…”  She shook her head.  “I can’t talk about it.  I don’t want to think about it.  You were the one who almost died today, not me.  I shouldn’t be moping.”

“You have every right to be upset.  No putting on your aloof, tough girl façade right now.  Not when it’s just you and me.  You can be strong and upset at the same time.  No pretending to try and make me feel better.”  Natasha nodded.  “You don’t seem so shaken anymore.”  Pepper offered a weak but warm smile.  “It’s hard to be when my wonderful wife is trying so hard to look out for me.”  The assassin brushed her hair out of her face and took off her jacket before lying down next to her.

“We both had a crazy day…Right now I want nothing more than for you to get some more rest.”  Natasha got under the covers and pulled Pepper closer to her.  “In the place where I know you’re safest.  In my arms.”

Not far away Darcy was trying to relax in Bruce’s room.  She was nowhere near as traumatized as Pepper had been because she wasn’t a target, but it’s not a very common experience to find one’s self in an exploding building and be saved by an enormous green hand.  It had been difficult for him to maintain his composure after the situation had been contained by S.H.I.E.L.D. until he saw she was starting to calm down.  She required no sedatives or other medical attention, just a shoulder to cry on and someone to talk to.  Though Bruce made it explicit that he was by no means qualified to act as a therapist when Tony tried recapping his entire experience with the Mandarin to him because he lacked the patience, he would’ve been even more impatient and in turn angry if there was any delay in Darcy’s well-being improving.  Eventually she had calmed down physically but her mind was still racing.  She was laying on his floor, hands on her stomach and staring at the ceiling.

“Get a degree in political science they said,” she grumbled, “It’ll secure you a rockin’ internship and job they said.  That class on Terrorism helped a little…but they should’ve included a lecture on how to dismantle bombs.  That would’ve been useful.”  She glanced up at Bruce who was sitting at his desk, facing her and listening to her ramblings.  She pointed up at a large photograph he had on his wall.  “That’s the Einstein-Rosen Bridge.  Is that from when traveled long, long ago using Jane’s theories to a galaxy far, far away?”

He looked over his shoulder and nodded when he returned his attention to her.  “Yeah, her findings really helped with the construction.  A dash of science, a sprinkle of Asgardian magic, and we were able to teleport.  After our business on that planet the gatekeeper of Asgard was able to bring us there.  Seventeen years after Thor broke the bridge it still wasn’t fully functional so it could only be used sparingly.”

“What was it like over there?  Jane was there when those dummy dark elves attacked, but she didn’t stay obviously.  Dani lives there now.  That must be so weird for her.”

“It’s very shiny, for starters.  Adjusting will definitely be hard for her.  She’s not one for taking orders and last I heard she didn’t get along very well with Loki’s father.  That could change seeing as she has to work with him and she’s a little more mature.  But only a little,” he laughed and Darcy grinned.  “I wish I’d gotten to know her better before she left.  When Tony came out as gay I’ll admit, I jumped on the bandwagon of heartbroken women.  He’s not bad looking.  And I’ve got a thing for science-y guys I’ve come to realize.  I like when someone can talk nerdy to me,” she joked.  “Then she was born and everyone raised such a stink about it because…What did they call her?  The ‘test tube baby’?  I thought that was pretty cool.  Scientific breakthrough.  And she was totally healthy too.  Not to mention she grew at a crazy fast pace, talking and walking light years before babies are supposed to.”

“Um, light years measures distance, not time.”

“Semantics.  What was it like putting up with a baby, a toddler who could break bricks like Mario, move like Sonic, and blow things up like Anders?  Moody and tortured soul _Dragon Age II_ Anders, not adorably snarky _Dragon Age:_ _Awakening_ Anders.  Maybe I need some gaming therapy…”

“Clint has a collection of consoles like the original Nintendo systems, the Atari, and the newer ones like the Playstation 7.  His game collection is almost as big as Dani’s library.  I’m sure he’d let you use them when he comes back.  As for little Dani…”  He rubbed the back of his neck.  “Tony once asked me what my secret was.  I just isolated but always stayed angry because there was no one around to challenge it.  No one and nothing to test my self-control, so no fear of losing it.  Then that little monster was born and…I love that girl to death, believe me.  I helped raise her.  But as a baby, a toddler, and even for part of her school-aged years she had a difficult time grasping the concept of how her actions could affect other people.  When it came to helping others like making Captain America’s All-American Apple Pie with Steve or working with me and Tony in the lab she did most of the work.  But if she felt like she was justified in pulling pranks on people she would.  Usually it was because they amused her and sometimes she’d say things like ‘You’ve dealt with worse, why’s this a problem?’.  Luckily she outgrew that when she got older.  Then she started pushing our buttons completely conscientious of the fact that it annoyed us all, but knew she could pout her way out of it.”

Darcy whistled.  “She and Loki are perfect for each other.  She’s probably giving him a run for his money.”

“Dani explained it to me once because I was very worried about her and angry that Loki was trying to be with her.  I didn’t trust him, she knew it, and she didn’t want that weighing me down.  She said that the reason they got along so well was because she saw him from an angle different from the rest of us since she never saw what he did to New York.  And having the big heart and strong compulsion for selflessness that she does made her want to help him get his act together.  As she got to know him she realized that they had this weird way of bonding by antagonizing each other.  She called him a ‘frenemy’ and thought that they were equals on an intellectual level.  That was his greatest weapon, his mind.  That’s always been her shield.  She was a challenge to him which he had probably never encountered before, and that’s what first caught his attention.  That’s what she thinks anyway, and Tony told him something pretty similar before we left to go get her back from those aliens.  Sounded like he agreed.  Well, he didn’t argue and said that wasn’t something he had thought about before.”

“That makes sense.  I think that if you pinpoint certain traits about someone that not only get your attention but keep it then you don’t appreciate them as a whole.  You’re just loving an idea you have them, not the person.  Clearly his past is something she accepts.  She wasn’t just interested in his intellect, having someone around that she could poke and prod who would return the favor all in good fun.  She knew what he did and still cared.”  Darcy flashed a brief smile at Bruce.  “She didn’t let what he’d done color how she saw him because she knew there was more to him than that.  She saw beyond ‘the monster’ everyone else thought he was.  That he probably thought he was.  And she knew he was trying to himself in check.  Even if he did sorta level Harle- Manhattan.”  _C’mon, you’re a smart guy, catch it, catch it…_   “Hey, you owe me a high five, remember?”  She held up a hand and he clapped his palm against hers.  “Thanks again for grabbing me.  That didn’t sound as sexual in my head, for the record.”

“I…didn’t even realize it could’ve been misconstrued as innuendo until you just mentioned it,” he admitted with a sheepish grin.  “I normally don’t catch those things.”  She raised an eyebrow at him.  “Despite living with Tony Sex Fiend Stark?”  Bruce shrugged.  “It’s a foreign language I have yet to master.”

“Dr. Banner, I’m sorry for the interruption but Tony is requesting your presence in the lab,” J.A.R.V.I.S. announced. 

Bruce sighed.  “Can it wait?”  As if on cue there was a knock on his door.  “Hey, it’s Jane and Thor!” a cheerful voice on the other side called.  Darcy sat up.  “Great timing.  Go do science things.  I’ll be okay.  And if that changes, well, I know where to find you.  That _was_ supposed to sound creepy, for the record.”

“Come on in,” Bruce said and the door burst open, Jane almost tackling Darcy to the ground.  “Oh my God, when I heard about what happened, I was so worried, so worried, I’m glad you were with Dr. Banner, that was very reassuring, but, oh my God, how are you?”  Trying to catch her breath after getting everything out in one, Jane kneeled before Darcy who sat up pretzel style and pulled her in for a huge hug.  As the two began talking amongst themselves Bruce stood up to greet Thor.

“Thanks for helping save Darcy.  And Pepper too, of course.  Nice to have you back.”

“It’s good to be home again.”  He cast a glance at Jane and hid a small smile.  Bruce nodded.  “Apparently Tony needs me in the lab for something so how about you three relocate to your room and keep an eye on her, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.  Thank you for keeping Jane’s best friend company and providing her with comfort until we arrived.”  Bruce shrugged and avoided eye contact.  “Don’t mention it.  My pleasure.  Darcy is, um, she’s good company.  I like her.  Being around her, I mean.  I like being in her company because she’s good company is what I meant to say.  I’m going to the lab now.”

* * *

**Tony’s Lab**

“You want to what?!  You can't be serious!” Bruce exclaimed as Tony slid the hologram tablet to him, examining the inventor’s proposal.  Palms on the table Tony nodded.  “Dead serious.”

“Are you sure you aren’t doing this to get your mind off of Steve?” Bruce asked skeptically as he slid the screen back to Tony.  “The last time you buried yourself in your work it was because you were under a great deal of stress, as was Steve.  And that stress clouded your thought process and made you think giving away your Malibu address to a terrorist was a good idea.  Then the terrorist proceeded to blow it up and everyone thought you were dead.”

“True, not my brightest move.  But this isn’t me burying myself in my work.  Scout’s honor.”  He crossed an 'X' over his heart.

“I can’t imagine you as a Boy Scout.”

“Never was.  It’s a colloquialism.  This isn’t for me, this isn’t a distraction.  This is for Pepper.  Clint can take care of himself and if and when need be Bobbi too.  Pepper, not so much.  Natasha can only devote so much time to her and being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent which…must really suck, now that I think about it.  Steve and I got lucky.  In more ways than one,” he added with a grin.  “Anyway, the idea isn’t to make a suit for combat.  Pepper would smack me over the head with a wrench if I proposed that idea to her.  After Natasha zapped me with those widow bites of hers.  Entirely defensive, which can act as offensive at the same time.  Like magnetic repulsion.  Redirect things away from her, then smash them against the ground.  Two for one special.  Just to protect herself.  Takes some pressure off of Natasha, gives Pepper a way of looking out for herself, and she’ll still have Adorkable with her anyway.  She won't have to be dependant on the suit.  Still can’t believe that kid tazed Thor.  And word on the street is some sort of training program is being put together for her based on Bobbi’s skills.”

“Bobbi is a trained martial artist who fights using batons that can extend, attach and become a bo-staff, and also act as a javelin.”

“Hope Adorkable doesn’t have asthma or arthritis.”

“She already passed the preliminary physical examination required for new recruits…Your nickname for Darcy is ‘Adorkable’?”

“I was caught between that and ‘Spastic Fantastic’ but when I heard about her anime and manga collection ‘Adorkable’ seemed to fit better.  And she’s a gamer too, right?”

“She is.  She also has a huge collection of vintage iPods and iPads.”  Tony nearly jumped in surprised.  “You’re joking," he said wide-eyed.  "People still own those things?  She could make a fortune selling them!”  The other scientist shook his head.  “She’s very protective of them.  I don’t know why but it has something to do with Coulson.”

“How’s she doing?”

“OK.  I think.  Jane and Thor are with her now.  She took it much better than Pepper, probably because HYDRA wasn’t after her.  Still, that’s a rather…‘exciting’ first day on the job.  She was worked up but I think her quirky sense of humor helps her shrug things off.  And I’m sure she was warned about situations like this.  What’s with that grin?”

Tony made the tablet disappear and rested an elbow on the table, chin on top of it.  “Quirky sense of humor.  Won’t argue that she’s adorable and a dork.  Sounds like you have confidence in her new job as a field agent too…Buddy, just tell her.  Honestly, the wait is killing ALL of us.  And no, Clint isn’t taking bets this time."  He dropped his hand back on the table and sighed thoughtfully.  "I wish she could go public with her marriage but that’s a double-edged sword.  HYDRA knows.  They know more than we think they know it would seem.  But Natasha has a…history.  And Pepper could get caught in the crossfire because of that.  It would help kill the rumors about us and give the gay community another badass to join their ranks.  Two, actually, since everyone knows that Natasha is an Avenger.  Not sure what that would mean for our dearly beloved femme fetale's safety and privacy though.  And someone could find out eventually anyway.  Keeping it a secret forever is tough.  But that’s their business.  Once Pepper has calmed down and Natasha is no longer in mother bear mode I’ll go talk to both of them about the suit idea.”

“Did you have a name in mind?  Not another Mark, and DIGITAL goes to Dani.  Though the acronym should probably change.”  Tony drummed his fingers on the table.  “Yeah, probably…‘Danielle is Gonna Imminently Transmogrify Asgardian Laws’.”

“…transmogrify?”

“Think about where she is.  A place that’s clung to tradition for thousands of billions of years.  Do you really think she’s not gonnna shake things up over there?  Hell, she could turn it into a matriarchy if she tried hard enough.”

“I don’t know about _that_.”  Tony raised an eyebrow at him.  “She helped Loki turn over a new leaf.  She cheated death.  She has a weird bond with the Tesseract.  And someday she WILL divide by zero.  I think she can turn Asgard into a matriarchy with little effort.  Didn’t she say Loki’s mom took her side during his trial?  Not to mention that warrior Goddess friend of Thor’s.”

“Wife.  That’s his wife. It’s strictly political though, like what happened with Loki and Sigyn.”

“Hm.  Just when I thought things couldn’t get any more dramatic around here…Wonder if Jane knows.”

“If it’s only political then Thor will probably annul it so he can be with Jane, if they work things out…finally.”  Tony scoffed.  “Yeah, finally.  Funny how the end of the universe is what’s bringing us all together and causing my baby girl to get married.  And become a stepmother.  This family tree is weirder and weirder…Thor is my son-in-law once Dani and Loki get married.  Loki will be my son-in-law!  And when he and Dani have kids, good God, I don’t wanna think about that.  That’s another apocalyptic scenario waiting to happen.  But enough about the future end of the world, back to the present end of the world.  I really want Pepper to have this suit.  It’ll be hard coming up with features meant for protection seeing as making turtle shell-inspired suits isn’t my forte, but attacking the company…I think that’s their way of affirming they know we know.  Which was no doubt Emma’s intention all along, hence the easy to trace and translate messages."

"And the attack was soon as Dani left.  She was the greatest threat to Frost Enterprises and HYDRA separately and together.  They tried to get on **their** side and when they failed they go after someone who fits the criteria for the people they’re experimenting on," Bruce pointed out.  "This was a business attack, this was a personal attack, and this was a terrorist attack all in one.  The business angle isn’t priority obviously but now it’ll be easier for them to have people invest in and fund them, because all the competition is gone."

Tony nodded.  "No Stark Industries, Worthington Industries is a joke, and Rand-Meacham Industries is dead.  Who’s left?  Frost Enterprises.  They now have more access to external resources.  Even with Dani gone they’re adapting.  Either they had a backup plan or there’s someone else at the top of HYDRA’s hierarchy that we don’t know about.  Emma’s smart.  I know her game.  She’s straightforward, to the point, and aggressive.  But even she couldn’t have predicted Dani leaving so this wasn't premeditated.  Emma's meticulous and careful.  She covers all the bases.  But without knowing that Dani would leave, trying to recruit her and failing...This was a reaction to that.”  His eyes widened.  “This was a reaction.  Emma's not reactionary.  There’s someone else.  Probably a spawn from the first wave of HYDRA members that Steve fought.  Shit.  J.A.R.V.I.S., call up S.H.I.E.L.D. **now**.”

“Coulson or Fury, sir?”

“Both, whoever answers first.”

“There’s already an incoming call from Agent Coulson, sir.”

“Then answer it.  Hey Coulson.”

“Tony, I have some bad news.  Very bad news.”

Tony grit his teeth.  “Again?  The anti-serum in Steve’s fucking up lungs was bad enough.  If this is about Steve I swear-”

“It’s not just Steve this time,” the agent interrupted.

Tony and Bruce both paled, exchanging nervous looks.  “What did he do?” the inventor asked slowly and apprehensively, terrified of the answer.

* * *

**S.H.I.E.L.D. Base, New York Chapter, 5:45 PM**

“Alright, having this visual definitely helps as opposed to letters and numbers.”  Clint looked over an image showing the approximate amount of every chemical the Super Soldier Serum was comprised of in a picture of a glass labeled like a measuring cup.  He had yet to commit to making it but wasn’t shooting it down just yet.  “I still think another scientist should do this though.”

“The guy who replaced me was a HYDRA agent,” Bobbi reminded him.  “I’m glad Dani caught that before something worse happened to Steve.  Who knows what they could’ve done to him?  Especially with this anti-serum taking root in respiratory system.”

“Don’t remind me,” he muttered shaking his head.  “Thanks again for all the help at the explosion site.”

“Thanks for not tattling on me about the…other projectiles.”  She cast a glance at him to play along because they were under surveillance.  If Coulson found out about what really happened to Lola earlier that day they had no idea what kind of punishment was in store for the both of them.

“You couldn’t help it.  How are you feeling now?”

“Physically, better.  Mentally, frustrated.  I feel like Steve’s life is being put into my hands.  Yes, I have a PhD in biology and earned another in biochemistry after joining S.H.I.E.L.D. to work in that department, but that doesn’t make me the resident expert on SSS.”

“You can read this better than anyone,” he said encouragingly, taping a finger on the pile of photocopies from Natasha’s infiltration.  “I’m sure that’s a lot of pressure but you’re good at what you do.  You’re great at what you do.”

“Am I?” she muttered cynically and dubiously, absentmindedly flipping through the photocopies.  “Knowing what I do about biology and chemistry and what not hasn’t always worked in my favor…”  She glanced up and saw Clint’s surprised and curious expression.  Shaking her head she said, “Don’t mind me.  Hormones I think.”

“If you say so.”

“You’ve always made it seem as though your skills never hinder your performance.  Have there been times they worked against you?  That they did hinder your performance?”

“Aside from when I was one of Loki’s zombies?” he joked.  Danielle’s impending marriage by no means made the attack a bygone or light topic but there were rare occasions that they could derive a little humor from it.  “Sometimes I envy everyone who can work on the frontlines.  It has nothing to do with kill count, it’s a given they’ll outdo me if they’re so close.  But there are moments where I feel like backup, literally and figuratively.  Only needed when my skills are needed, not because I -as an Avenger and agent- am needed.”

“No one else can do what you do.”

“Hypocrite,” he grinned.  Both of them immediately clamped their hands over their ears when an obnoxiously loud alarm went out.  There was an extremely loud commotion coming from one of the western wings of the base, where the medical wing was located, not very far from Bobbi's office.

“Please tell me that isn’t Steve!” Bobbi exclaimed over the noise.  “Who the fuck else is under lockdown and has an alarm that goes off whenever something terrible happens?!” Clint yelled back.  The alarm stopped, meaning the doctors were all there and addressing the problem.  Clint shook his head and pushed the swivel chair out from the cubicle-turned-table in Bobbi’s office.  “I need to see what’s going on.”  She nodded.  “I’ll still be here working…in case you need me."

“Thanks.”  Clint hurried down to the medical wing and saw punctures and indents on the wall of Steve’s room which had been caused from the inside.  There was still a commotion going on in there.  A hand on Clint’s shoulder made him jump and he turned around to see a gravely serious Maria shaking her head.  “Trust me, you don’t want to see what happened in there.”

“No, I don’t,” he replied briskly pushing her hand off of his shoulder.  “But I want to know what happened.”  Maria hesitated and opened her mouth to explain.  “Steve had an asthma attack.  Something triggered a psychotic episode and he thought he was back in Germany, his breathing troubles caused some sort of gas.  The person who went in to see him…Steve almost killed him.  They’re trying to calm him down right now with a sedative that won’t harm his body.”

Clint couldn’t believe what he had just heard.  He put one arm over his chest and rested the other atop it, hand over his mouth.  “God damn it.  God fucking damn it!”  He punched the wall and Maria roughly pulled him back.  “Agent Barton you need to calm down before you become compromised,” she warned sternly.

“Who says I’m not already?!” he barked.  “And Natasha for that matter?!  We’re all compromised right now!”  He stepped back and narrowed his eyes at her.  “You said ‘person’, not ‘doctor’.  Who went in there?  Maria, don’t give me that look.  Fucking tell me.  Who did Steve attack and almost kill?”

“…Dr. Selvig.  He was going to go see him out of personal concern, and despite very specific orders not to discuss it he told him about the explosion at Stark Industries.  When Steve attacked him after his asthma was triggered, probably by particulates on Selvig’s clothing as he wasn’t wearing anything sterilized, he had heart attack from the shock and his old age.  He’s currently in the ICU.  Coulson is going to tell Tony and everyone else right now.”

“Could Selvig be part of HYDRA?  They’ve been planning this for a long time, and Selvig has been with us for a long time.”  He started breathing quickly and heavily, feeling light-headed.  He backed up against the wall for support so he could keep his balance.  The noise was still coming from Steve’s room.  “If he keeps this up, in his condition, he’s gonna get worse.  Fuck!  Fuck, fuck, fuck!”  Clint dropped his face into his hands.  “…Maria?” he began quietly.

“Yes Agent Barton?”

“I don’t want to hear anything else on Steve unless it’s good news.  Now that Natasha is keeping an eye on Pepper for the time being Bobbi needs someone to work with her and she made it very clear that she trusts me.  She wants to work with me.  I need to stay here.  But if I have to deal with any more of that-”  He pointed towards Steve’s room.  “-then I will be compromised.”  He turned around to go back to Bobbi’s office.

“That isn’t my decision to make,” she called to him.  “You need to talk to the director first!”

“Fuck the director!” he shouted over his shoulder.  "If he'd paid more fucking attention HYDRA never would've gotten in here in the first place!  This is his damn fault!"  After Clint returned to Bobbi’s office the noise had died down and Maria went over to the hospital room for an update.  Steve had to be sedated with something stronger than what he had already been given; he was gaining his physical strength back so his body was able to handle the substance.  The doctor she spoke to wasn’t sure why or how Steve was starting to regain some of his muscle mass and strength but he mentioned that the picture Danielle had left seemed to confuse him and start to bring him back to reality, and gave the doctors a chance to inject him with the sedative.  The current working theory was that the anti-serum might be weakening and they were going to run tests for Bobbi to analyze.  Whether or not that was part of HYDRA’s plan remained to be seen and Maria said they would begin brainstorming for both scenarios.

“Hill, I need you down in the ICU immediately,” Fury’s voice commanded over her communicator.  She excused herself and went to the Intensive Care Unit where the director was standing outside Dr. Selvig’s room.  His arms were behind his back and his expression was somewhere between grim and forced apathy.  He was looking inside the room, the blinds drawn, and watching the doctors inside.

“Director?” she asked quietly.  He gulped heavily.  “Coulson had to delay the call to Tony and the others.”

“What for sir?”

“We’re waiting.”

“Waiting?” she asked nervously, then looked at the EKG machine as one of the doctors came out of the room.  “It was more than just a heart attack sir," she explained.  "The blow to head caused hemorrhaging inside the-”

“Save the details for coroner’s report.  And give Coulson the update.”  The doctor nodded and replied, “It's officially been called at 5:54 PM, sir."  The director merely nodded and walked away, motioning for Hill to come with him.  Maria had seen plenty of agents and other members come and go, but never under circumstances such as this.

“This conversation never happened, do I make myself clear?” he said very quietly as he led her down an empty hallway.  She nodded.  “Yes sir.”  With a heavy sigh he began, “If this continues, we’ll need to neutralize the threat.”  She stopped, heartbeat racing.  Fury turned to her.  “I already know what’s going on with Barton and Stark will no doubt lose his fucking mind.  Both of them are under house arrest at that tower until I say otherwise.  Natasha will have to prioritize between her wife and her work, and assist Bobbbi in Clint’s absence.  I’ll make my decision on Bruce pending his reaction to the news.  Darcy stays here; we need as many agents as possible.  Same for Dr. Foster.  As for Thor, he stays here on Earth.  We need him, and Dani can take care of whatever the fuck is going on up there in Asgard.”

“She at the very least has a right to be informed,” Maria argued.

“I'm sure that's exactly what she needs right now, to know her father almost killed someone and now considered a Code Yellow level threat.  It will compromise her own ability to fight.  Whatever's going on down here can't impact her performance up there.  The entire universe is at war with itself, and we all need to be in prime condition when we find ourselves on the front lines.  I repeat.  Thor stays here because we need him.  Bruce’s treatment depends on his reaction to the news.  Dr. Foster and Agent Lewis will stay here to work in their respective fields.  Agent Romanov will continue to work with Agent Morse.  Stark and Agent Barton are under house arrest until I say otherwise.”

“Bobbi lives at the tower for her own protection now though.  Are you going to relocate her?  Or Pepper for that matter to keep the agents focused on their work?”

“No.  They will remain at the tower.  Agent Morse isn’t compromised and her presence will have a positive influence on Barton, help him regain his focus.  Romanov will have to learn the hard way how to balance her marriage and her job.  And with three of those four being HYDRA targets it also allows us to keep an eye on them simultaneously.”

“Now Bobbi is spying on the other inhabitants of the tower, in other words.  And Steve?” she asked nervously.  _Neutralize the threat he said…God no._

“I believe I made it quite clear that Rogers is now to be classified as a threat.  The kind of threat that S.H.I.E.L.D. addresses.  And if this progresses from its current status of Code Yellow to Code Red, we will have to neutralize the threat.”

“But sir, what will we do about HYDRA without the Avengers?!”

“There are no Avengers anymore!  Those are my orders and they final.  Do I make myself clear?  Or do I need to categorize you as compromised as well?”

Through grit teeth she replied, “No sir, I will not become compromised.”

“Director?”  Coulson’s voice came from Fury’s communicator.  “Talk to me Coulson.”

“Bruce was about to lose control but Agent Lewis subdued him.  Without her taser.  And Tony is without question compromised.”

“I figured as much.  This is what I expect you to do regarding our labile superhero clusterfuck.”  Fury proceeded to relay the orders he gave to Maria.

* * *

**Starbucks, 4:29 PM**

“Normally we don’t hire on the spot but you have a long history of food service industry work according to your very impressive application.  And we are in desperate need of an assistant manager after the last one up and quit.  He couldn’t handle living so close to the Avenger’s and moved upstate.  Welcome aboard, Ms. Moore.”  The manager of the coffee shop extended his hand.  A breathtakingly gorgeous and curvaceous woman with long blonde hair and striking green eyes shook it.

“Please, call me Anna,” she said sweetly with a hypnotizing smile.

* * *

**Frost Enterprises Lower Level, 4:32 PM**

An impatient Emma Frost paced back and forth in Viper’s office.  “You said we would have Danielle!” she exclaimed.  “Then she left.  They know, as we planned.  But instead of joining us to find a cure for Rogers, she goes into hiding!  So we go after the Aryan CEO and the Avengers save her!”  She slammed her hands down on the desk.  “P.A.G.E. is done.  It’s ready.  What are we waiting for?”

Unfazed by Emma’s outburst the green-haired woman glanced up at her and smiled.  “Would you like to inject Ruby?”  She shook her head.  “No.  I refuse to let that waste of space gain any abilities before either of us.  I want to be injected.  **Now**.”

“Alright.  You know it’s going to sting.”

“I don’t care.  The anti-serum will wear off eventually.  Hopefully the Avengers will be completely torn apart by then, and Rogers will be considered too dangerous so they’ll have no choice but to kill him off.  But if he gets his strength back before that his mind could still be very fragile.  I want to get in his head.”

“You always have been a nosey one, Emma.”  The blonde grinned.  “I think it’s safe to say a personality like mine will guarantee some sort of psychic ability to influence people’s minds.  I always need to be in control, I’m adept at swaying people’s minds, and I have ways of learning about everything there is to know concerning everyone there is to know about.”

“Illyana wanted to escape, to protect herself, hence the tears in space and that sword but she was too weak to handle the prototype.  You, on the other hand, will undoubtedly develop something that lets you get into Roger’s mind.  Perhaps even induce the psychosis so we don’t have to rely on the PTSD we triggered to work on its own.  Even better, once your skills are strong enough you may be able to use them to locate Johann Schmidt.”

“Always one step ahead, aren’t you?”

“I try.”

"What about Thunor?  As soon as Rogers-Stark leaves one of our Gods comes to us.  What should we do about him?"

"The squirrel told us that here on Middungeard, Thunor will fight the World Serpent, slay the beast, and then die from its poison.  Perhaps with I can prevent that."

  
"You?  How could you prevent that?"

"I never did tell you why I go by Viper, did I?  To keep a very long and sentimental story short I, as a child, found a snake and kept it as a pet.  I was obsessed with snakes, and still am.  The only reason I don't have one in the office is because I know it would terrify you.  Anyway, I wanted to be like a snake.  Remember I was just a child.  My first idea, and eventually obsession, was to become immune to all poisons and learn to manipulate them for my own personal usage as snakes do.  As vipers do.  I suspect that once I'm injected with P.A.G.E. that dream will come true.  With that immunity I may very well be able to interfere with the World Serpent's attempt to kill him, giving Thunor the chance to do it himself.  With our world saved, and having helped save Thunor we will be in the good graces of the Gods and finally be able to permanently establish the perfect world for the perfect race."

"And the World Serpent...Do you know where it is?"

Viper shook her head.  "Sadly, I don't.  There are rumors that he lives somewhere in the waters of Scandinavia.  But if you develop the abilities you hope to then you will be able to find him.  Once you do I will go to where he is and I will wait for Thunor to come, and I'll aid him in the battle."

"I'm still not sure what to do about Ruby.  What, if anything, could she possibly develop?"  Viper chuckled.  "An allergic reaction?  She has a use still.  I honestly don't think we'll need to inject her.  Just follow the plan and keep using her as the figurehead for the company so we can continue HYDRA's work down here.  So..."  Viper rose from her desk and made her way to the door.  "Are you ready to unlock your ultimate potential and in turn, destroy the mind of Captain America?  More so than it already has been?"

"Have you forgotten who my grandfather is?  I was born for this."


	14. Come To Your Senses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...it's been a month...I won't even bother getting into the explanations. For those not on DeviantArt I had some writer's block and couldn't figure out where to go both on Earth or in Asgard, hence my break from the story. I put it up to a vote, in regards to the chapter alteration, and the DA poll results ended up wanting another Earth chapter before returning to the alternating pattern. There's also a poll up on there for people to guess Dani is having a boy, girl, or multiple. Answer will be revealed in the next chapter! Btw, references to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Yeah, I'm gonna retcon it and bring it in later. Also a minor reference to Thor: The Dark World.
> 
> Something else I should mention- I wasn't aware of everyone's birthdays in the MCU except Steve's being on July 4th. That said, since they were born in the 70s that puts 'em in their 40s come the Avengers, and currently in their 60. I honestly thought they were late 70s-early 80s, making them 30 something in the Avengers and 50s now. Changing that would technically make this AU, which never occurred to me. But seeing as that's the only change, and it's a minor mistake based on my forgetfulness, I don't think the entire series needs to be classified as AU. Also, my dad was 50 when my sister was born so it's not all that unreasonable for Clint and Bobbi to expecting now, at least based on my personal experience. Sorry about the screw up guys. Mind playing pretend and scaling it back?
> 
> Also, does anyone know the significance of today, November 27th (in my timezone that is)? It's almost Dani's birthday! :)
> 
> PS- Has anyone figured out why Amora's human name is 'Anna Moore'? It's a 'so easy it's hard' thing.

**Avenger’s Tower, 6:07 PM**

After hearing Coulson’s update on Steve as well as Fury’s orders Tony was initially numb to the core.  When it finally registered, despite protest from Natasha he sped off to the base where Fury was currently engaged in a heated argument with Clint while trying to forcibly vacate him from facility.  Though the call was taken in the lab Tony had J.A.R.V.I.S. play it throughout the entire household so everyone could hear Fury’s respective orders for them.  Needless to say no one was in any mood to comply.  Coulson had also been ordered not to tell the others that Steve was now considered a threat but Natasha knew the system well enough to guess that HYDRA may not be the only ones who had their finger on the trigger, though she didn’t share the information.  As soon as Tony reached the base and caused a scene it would reveal itself.

Both Jane and Darcy were now emotional wrecks, the former more so than the latter after having worked with Erik for so long.  Jane had Thor to console her and Darcy went to seek out Bruce until it occurred to her that he may need her more for a crucial moment or two.  Furiously rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand as she made her way to the lower level, she immediately froze only a few paces outside the lab when she heard some sort of commotion inside.

 _Shit!_ she mentally exclaimed.  With a hoarse, cracking voice she commanded, “J.A.R.V.I.S., let me in the lab right-!”  The doors opened and Tony furiously stormed passed her, en route to his car.  Surprisingly the commotion had been from him, not Bruce on the verge of a transformation.  She quickly jumped in before they automatically closed and saw him with his elbows and glasses on the table, face in hands, his entire muscular system stiff and restrained.  He was trying to fight it.

“Hey, big guy,” she began cautiously, “save the rage for P.A.G.E.  Tony went down to knock some heads, didn’t he?  I’d like to do the same.  Something weird is going on at S.H.I.E.L.D. right now and we’re all pissed off because of what happened with Steve and Erik.  And I need you, I mean we need you to keep it together to try and figure out what’s going on down there.”

“You really shouldn’t be in here right now, Darcy.”  His voice was strained and spontaneous green discolorations were appearing along his flesh.

“Probably not.  You’re right, I shouldn’t.  And why do you say that?  ‘Cause you’re smart.  And strong.  The perfect combination of brain and brawn.”  She slowly started approaching him.  “You’re not a monster, Bruce.  If you were you wouldn’tve saved my life today.  And do you wanna know what I did to the last guy who saved my life?”  She hoisted herself up onto the worktable and scooted closer to him, carefully pulling his hands away from his face and leaning in to kiss him gently on the lips.  He felt his entire body begin to relax and the discolorations began to dissipate.

“Holy shit!” she exclaimed in triumph.  “I didn’t know if that would work!”

“Um, well, kissing does stimulate dopamine levels in the brain which can cause a euphoric feeling, as well as lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol which can help bring down blood pressure-”

“Or it’s because I’m a fantastic kisser,” she added matter-of-factly.  A slight grin tugging at his lips he replied, “That’s also a possibility.”

“You should get angry again so we can test that theory.”

“Actually a hypothesis is what you test.  A theory is a plausible explanation for phenomena derived from the results of multiple tests of a hypothesis.”

“It’s like being Jane’s intern all over again…Are you okay now?”  He nodded slowly.  “OK as I can be considering what happened.”

“I meant it when I said I was going down to S.H.I.E.L.D.  I feel like there’s more to the story here.  Not to mention bow boy is there and he’s supposed to be on house arrest so the shit show began before Tony even left.”

An awkward cough echoed in the lab.  “Actually Agent Lewis I’m going to need you to come in for some preliminary training.  Also, please bring your iPod and iPad collection.  If you don’t mind we’d like to tinker with them a little so you can use them in the field.  I promise this won’t wipe your music collection and you’ll still be able to play Angry Birds to your heart’s content.”

Both of them blushed deeply and she blinked in confusion.  “Coulson…you’re still on the line…That’s cool.  OK, yeah, I guess I can come in for a little bit of work…”

“Believe me when I say it’s just as awkward for me as it is the two of you.”  He lowered his voice to hushed whisper.  “But you aren’t wrong.  Stark just arrived.  Hurry up.  And remember, you’re coming in to work.”  The call ended from his end.  Darcy scrunched her lips.  “Why was he still on the line?  I thought the call ended after he played messenger boy for Fury.”

Bruce winced at his forgetfulness, though remembering the call was still open had dropped on his priority list for a spell.  “It was just here in the lab that the call was still audible.  He had a message for Tony’s ears only but since I was in here I ended up hearing it as well, hence the potential outburst.  He was trying to talk me down but it wasn’t working, as I’m sure you noticed.  You should hurry down there and see what’s going on.  I’ll let everyone else know something’s up.  Fury himself is behind it.  If he’s the director it’s his job to handle serious situations like this and as much as he loves his superheroes Steve is…Right now Steve is being treated like the kind of problems S.H.I.E.L.D. is supposed to handle.  Tony might make this worse.  That’s probably the real reason Coulson wants you down there.”

“Damage control?”

“You pegged it when you guessed something else is going on.  He needs your help to diffuse it, and that training regimen and the plans he has for your new gear are probably a part of that.”

“This job keeps getting better and better.  OK, I’ll head over to base.  You do what you can here.”

“Um, well, before you go, I just wanted to say that kissing can also cause the brain to produce oxytocin, allowing for an establishment of affection, trust, and intimacy between two people.”

“That has got to be the nerdiest attempt at flirting I’ve ever heard,” she chuckled and gave a thumbs up.  “I give it my seal of approval.  So what exactly is the ‘for Tony’s ears only’?  Is that what you’re gonna tell everyone else?”  He nodded slowly.  “Like I said, Steve is now categorized as a high-level threat.  You know what S.H.I.E.L.D. does to threats like that.”

“He…he wouldn’t!” she exclaimed jumping down from the table.  “Oh God, oh Gods, I need to get down there immediately!  Something tells me I shoulder probably bring my taser too.”

 

* * *

**S.H.I.E.L.D. Base, New York Chapter, 6:22 PM**

By the time Fury found out that Tony was not only on the premises but en route to the medical wing it was too late.  He had roughed up a few agents on his way there, leaving an easy trail to follow, but it stopped right at Steve’s hospital room.  Tony had locked the door behind him after entering, which was in all essence futile but it was stall anyone who wished to interrupt for at least ten or so more seconds.  He didn’t know it at the time but Coulson was secretly creating diverges and redirecting traffic to keep people away from the wing.

The sedative was beginning to wear off by the time he had arrived.  The mechanic waited patiently for Steve to come to, one hand placed gently atop Steve’s pale and motionless one while the other held the photograph Danielle left behind.  With a soft groan and slight stirring, the soldier’s eyes flickered open and he slowly sat up.  Tony did his best to maintain his composure, unsure of what to expect when Steve noticed his presence.

After a few minutes Steve broke the heavy silence that hung over the room.  “I may not have been in control of my body, but I know what happened,” he began monotone.  “I know what ‘I’ did.  Is Dr. Selvig okay?”

“Fuck Selvig, right now all I care about is knowing what happened to you,” was the harsh reply he received and Steve winced at his tone.  Tony had trusted S.H.I.E.L.D. to both help him get better and keep him from acting upon whatever was toying with his cognitive processes and they had failed at both.  He wasn’t the least bit furious with him but he was furious and it was bleeding over into how he spoke to his husband.

“I was someone’s marionette.  There was a voice in my head.  A woman’s voice.  She would command and I would act.  I know I’ve heard it somewhere before, that voice.  Recently.”

“…someone brainwashed you.  Is that what happened?  So this isn’t PTSD-”

“No, it is, and it isn’t.  This voice will kick up old memories like dust and they cloud my vision so everything I see and hear is something from the past, the things I see in nightmares, but I’m somewhere on the sidelines fully aware of the fact that it’s happening.”

“Someone is blinding you with images of the past and controlling your every move.”

“Something like that.  I just wish I knew where I’d heard this voice before.”

“If I had to take a guess I’d say HYDRA’s perfected their brand of the serum and someone is using it to get into your head.”

“And S.H.I.E.L.D. in the process,” Steve added.  “It’s an attempt to use me to break down the organization and the Avengers as well I’m sure.  The leader is…mentally MIA.”  Tony looked around the bland hospital room and then shook his head, gently squeezing Steve’s hand.  “Looks more to me like a POW.”  The blond suppressed a cynical laugh.  “And you say I’m cute when I try using scientific jargon.  Tony, they’re going to terminate me.  I’m a liability-”

“I know,” he interrupted.  “Fury has you categorized as a threat right now.  He gave orders to Coulson, who may or may not have told the rest of us more than he was supposed to.  Clint and I are supposed to be on house arrest; I’m not even supposed to be here.  The worst part is I don’t think anyone is controlling Fury.  They don’t have to.  HYDRA knows how S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to react to a threat so they’re playing off of the rules and protocols this damn place follows.  He is planning on killing you if this happens again.  I have confirmation.”

“You know there are video cameras in here, right?  If Fury finds out that Coulson did that-”

“Fury is going to act sooner or later.  It doesn’t matter what he knows, when he knows it, or how he finds out.  No one plans on following the orders he gave.”

“So now we’re planning a mutiny.”  He looked over at Tony and locked eyes with him.  “What happened to Dr. Selvig?”  Tony hesitated but knew Steve could and would find out one way or another.  “He’s dead,” he replied quietly.  “Brain hemorrhaging.”  Steve said nothing, merely nodding slowly.  Suddenly he twitched and began to blink rapidly, similarly to the way one does when adjusting to a change in light exposure.

 _Here comes the puppeteer_ , Tony thought with a nervous gulp as he stood up and backed away a few paces, still holding onto the photograph.  If it was enough to bring Steve back to reality, to the present, the last time this happened it should work again.  Tony had invested all his hope in that.

Steve’s head suddenly snapped in his direction.  “I already told you, you people won’t get a word out of me,” he spat.

 _He thinks this is a Nazi interrogation.  Well that’s just fantastic._   “And I don’t plan on trying,” he replied slowly.  Steve scoffed.  “That’s what the last one said.”  Tony visibly winced at the reference to Dr. Selvig, in this context no more than a low-ranking Nazi, a HYDRA grunt.

“I bet he didn’t tell you that you’ve been brainwashed.  That you’re under someone else’s control right now.”

“Do you really expect me to believe something like that is even possible?” he exclaimed angrily.  “How gullible do you think I am?”

“You told me, that’s why I expect you to believe it.  You’re not in Germany or some secret Nazi hideout.  You’re under the influence of something that’s making you see things that aren’t really there.”

“So you gassed me again,” he deduced and Tony starting wracking his brain for a way to explain to Steve what was happening, to try and permanently break the hold some unknown entity had on his consciousness.

“If you were really in a Nazi interrogation chamber or being held hostage you would be tied up.  Are you restrained?  Get up and move around.  I dare you.”

Steve looked at him dubiously and lifted his arm slowly, grunting under the pressure of a strap that wasn’t even there.  “You were saying?”

 _His senses really have gone absolutely haywire.  I guess this picture is my only shot._   He shoved the picture in Steve’s face.  “Maybe I can’t convince you, but I’d bet ever dollar I have to my name that she could.”

“…I’ve seen that picture before…The other Nazi officer showed it to me before I went under…”  He examined it carefully and Tony could tell by the look in his eyes that the wheels were starting to turn.

“Recognize her?”

“…Yes…And I don’t know why…But I’m in this photograph with her…”

“Does she resemble anyone?”  _For the love of God, this better be working._

“Me,” he replied visibly shocked.  “She looks like me.”

“Yeah, she does.  Her name is-”

“Danielle.”

Tony sighed in relief.  _It’s working.  Halle-fucking-lujah, it’s working._   “Yeah, her name is Danielle.  She looks like you because she’s-”

“My daughter.  But I can’t remember who her mother is…”  His eyes became distant as he tried to recall a bit of information that didn’t exist.  His words hit Tony’s heart like a wrecking ball.  He too was in the picture but he was only able to remember bits and pieces, none of which involving him.  Steve returned his attention to Tony.  “Alright, maybe you aren’t who I thought you are.  But how do you have this information on my personal life?  How do you know who my daughter is?  And why are you also in that picture?”

“Look at your left hand.  See anything?”

“Just my left hand.”

 _If he can’t see his wedding ring there’s no way in hell he could see mine._   Before Tony could muster a weak reply Steve added, “But something’s missing.”  He looked at the picture again.  “I have a wedding ring here.  But I’m not wearing it now.”

“Yeah you are, you just can’t see it because of whatever it is that’s messing with your head.  Everything you’re seeing is one giant hallucination.  I don’t know why you can see this picture since nothing else in reality is visible to you but it’s all I’ve got to bring you back.”

“Bring me back where?”

“To me.”

“…Danielle doesn’t have a mother, does she?”  Tony shook his head.  “Nope, no mom.  Her birth was…unconventional.”  _Why can he see this picture?  Why is it able to break through whatever is causing this flashback?  It’s just a photograph.  It can’t be stronger than what’s probably being caused by the perversion of the serum that made Steve a super soldier.  Then again…it messes with his senses.  But not his memory.  I can’t convince him he’s seeing things.  I have to remind him of the present.  This whole mess is based on time, and this picture is more recent than these flashbacks.  That’s why it’s pulling him back!  OK, think, what else is gonna jog his memory and bring him back to the present?_   “Do you remember anything else about her?”

“…She’s loud.”

“Yeah, she’s definitely loud.”

“And that picture is old.  How old is she now?”

“She’ll be twenty-five soon.”

“And…she doesn’t live at home anymore.”

 _Or in this world._   “No, she definitely relocated.”

“What did you mean when you said you want me to come back to you?”

“Look at the picture again.  See anything on my left hand?”  _Shit.  He might have a homophobic panic attack.  He didn’t know he’s bi until we started dating._

“A ring.  So you’re married too?”

“OK, enough beating around the bush.  She’s my daughter too, and you and I are married.  That’s what I meant when I said I want you, I need you to come back to me.”

As Steve began to process those words there was a loud commotion out in the hallway involving lots of yelling and a heavy _thud!_  

 

* * *

**Ten Minutes Ago**

Darcy was to come to base by instruction of the director himself relayed through Coulson so she had no difficulty going in, but she did overhear the fist fights Tony was getting in and Clint arguing with someone about how wasn’t leaving base if Bobbi needed an assistant.  She had a camouflage patterned shoulder bag full of her Apple product collection just as Coulson had requested.  Fury’s directions had nothing to do with her technology, only her presence on the base, so she had a sneaking suspicion that this was part of whatever secret plan Coulson had brewing.  She made her way to the training area where Coulson was waiting for her outside an unoccupied room.  There was another agent with him whom Darcy didn’t recognize.  She had shoulder length black hair and a stone-cold, unreadable facial expression.

“Agent Lewis, this is Agent Melinda May.  She’s a former field agent who works upstairs handling paperwork and other miserable mind numbing tasks.  She’s also a master martial artist and will be working with you today.”

“Nifty.  Pleasure, Agent May.”  Darcy extended her hand and Melinda looked down at it, then entered the training room calling over her shoulder for Darcy to suit up and that she expected her back in five minutes.  She pursed her lips.  “Awkward…”

“Agent May isn’t a people person.  Come with me, I’ll show you where the locker room is.”  Coulson walked at a very casual pace which Darcy found curious considering the urgency in his voice when he told her to come until she remembered the video cameras lining the ceilings like candles in a church.

“As of now you have level eight clearance, same as myself,” he said quietly and she did her best to hide her surprise to avoid arousing suspicion should the cameras catch even a hint of it.  “After you change I want you to leave your bag in your locker with your street clothes.  Another female agent will take it and bring it to me.  I’m going to take to our weapon engineers.  The bag will be returned by the same agent.  We’re going to pretend that it wasn’t inspected when you arrived so we took it to the engineering department to check all the electronics you have on your person, see if there’s a need to confiscate anything such as a recording device.  Agent May will be working with you all the while.”

“Does she know what’s going on?”  Coulson grinned as they reached the end of the hall and took a right, leading to a door with the sign ‘Women’s Locker Room’ on it.  “The confiscation was her idea, among other things.  If you see Tony not a word of this is to reach him.  Understood?  He isn’t part of the plan and we can’t afford to have him impose.”

“Plan?” she asked quietly.  He nodded and turned away from the cameras so no one would be able to read his lips.  “I’ll sum it up in one word.  Mutiny.”

 

* * *

**Same Time, Bobbi’s Office**

Clint had given up arguing with the other agents and left on his own accord, cursing the entire way.  The blonde scientist sat in her office tapping her pen on her desk, unable to focus on the paperwork before her.  She heard a knock on her door and spun her chair around.  “Hello Hill.”

“I need you to go after him,” she said quietly.  “We can take of it without you.”

“What about Steve?”

“I’ve taken over watching the security cameras in his hospital room and Tony is getting through to him.  Whatever took control of him is losing its potency, and the doctors have reason to believe whatever was weakening him was temporary.”

“Even if were temporary, that doesn’t mean he’ll return to full strength by the time it wears off,” Bobbi pointed out.  Maria nodded.  “I know.  I need you to get Clint at the very least back to the tower.  Make sure he isn’t alone there.  Calm him down if you can.  His verbal lashing on those other agents was very convincing.  For a moment I was afraid he was getting a little too in character.”

“Does Tony know?”  Maria shook her head.  “He needs to focus on Steve.  We’ll take care of the real threat.  After you’ve taken care of Clint come back.  Hopefully by then we’ll have a sample from Steve of the P.A.G.E. lodged in his respiratory system.  We need you to undo whatever has been done to it and return it to its original formula.  The Super Soldier Serum.”

“You want me to what?” she gasped.  “To recreate it?  I…I can’t.”

“You have all the documentation and original notes available.  What’s missing?”

“…what do you plan on doing with it?”

“We hope to inject Steve with it and see if that will return him to original factory settings, if you will.”

“Remind his body what it’s lacking, what it’s supposed to be.  Do you have any idea how much that sounds like the plot for a terrible sci-fi film?”

“So did creating a baby in a test tube.”

“Valid.”  She shook her head.  “Do you have any idea how much pressure this puts on me?  Captain America’s life is in my hands.  And not just Captain America but Tony’s husband, Danielle’s father, and a great friend to everyone living in that tower.  I shouldn’t even be in the labs to begin with.  That’s why you stuck me in here.”  She waved a hand, motioning to the office interior.

“We’ll take extreme precautionary measures.  Agent Morse, you are without a doubt the most qualified individual in this facility, perhaps in all of S.H.I.E.L.D., to do this.  Isn’t that what drew you to us in the first place?  Studying the serum?”

“Yes, studying.  I was _studying_ it.  Not trying to make it and inject it.  The serum bound to his DNA.  What you’re asking me to do is exactly what HYDRA is doing.  I have no experience in genetic engineering.  There has to be a professor at the academy you can contact.”

“This is an inside operation,” Maria replied raising her eyebrows slightly, hoping Bobbi would pick up on the double entendre.  The scientist started tapping her pen again, then rose and stretched her arms.  “I’ll hunt him down and make sure he’s alright.  What if I run into the director on the way out?  He ordered me to stay here.”

“He contacted the World Security Council concerning what to do with Steve.”  Maria bit her lip.  “He’s losing his composure, cracking under all the pressure.  Nazis, a mythical cataclysm, Steve, HYDRA…He’s in no position to run S.H.I.E.L.D.  Especially not if he’s handling everything in such a manner.”  Slipping her arms into her jacket Bobbi added, “I wonder if a certain someone’s engagement to a former interdimensional terrorist contributed at all.”

“We were all excited to see Loki again,” the brunette replied sarcastically and then nodded towards the door.  “Hurry up and find Clint.  I’ll cover for your absence if it runs the risk of being noticed, and let the others know as well.  We’re essentially sneaking you out and back in.  Just remember the clock is against us.”

“Among other things.  Countless other things.”  Bobbi pulled her phone out of her pocket as she weaved her way past other agents, overhearing something about abnormal and potentially devastating geothermal readings centered around Iceland.

“Glad that isn’t my department…What the hell?  I know I still have his number.  No ‘Clint’, ‘Hawkeye’…Oh, that’s right.”  As she got into her car Bobbi typed ‘Jackass’ into her contacts directory and found his number.  “I should probably change that…”  She waited until she hit a red light and quickly shot him a text.

‘Where are you?’  In less than a minute it buzzed.

‘Starbucks.  By the tower.  Need a Cafè Misto.’

‘On my way.’

 …

 ‘Get me something to eat.  Something with chicken.  I really want chicken right now.’

 ‘Seriously?’

‘DON’T ARGUE WITH THE PREGNANT WOMAN.’

 ‘Calm down.  Just don’t expect me to go get you pickles and ice cream.’

 ‘You have no idea what you’re missing.’

 

* * *

**Avenger’s Tower, 6:57 PM**

“OK Coulson.  If you’re sure.  No, I’m not questioning the decision.  I would do the same thing without hesitation.  But the plan is dependent on everything going perfectly.  Can we have an update?  Alright, I’ll put on speakerphone.”  Natasha received a call from Coulson after taking Darcy’s collection to the engineers to inform her of the plan that was concocted.  She was pacing back and forth in the living room, Pepper laying on the couch and Bruce waiting patiently in the kitchen area.  Jane still refused to leave Thor’s room so no one had seen or communicated with either of them after they learned what had happened to Dr. Selvig.

Pepper rolled onto her side so her back was against the couch, making room for Natasha to sit.  She set her phone down and activated the speakerphone.  “Alright.  You’re on.”

“Tony has managed to stabilize Steve and from the looks of it that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.  It seems that triggering recent memories helps bring him down from those episodes.  Luckily Danielle left a family photo with him before leaving.  Darcy’s iPods and iPads are currently being tinkered with, turned into a variety of gear she can use in the field so she isn’t just limited to a taser.”

“And here I was looking forward to calling her Sparky,” the strawberry blonde said with a faint.  Natasha was relieved that she was starting to get her sense of humor back.

“We currently have her training with Agent May while her possessions are being tweaked-”

“May?!” Natasha exclaimed.  “As in **Melinda** May?  The Cavalry?  Are you insane?”

“She’s more useful here than signing off papers.  Someday I’ll convince her to reenter the field, despite what happened in Bahrain.  And she’s going easy on her…relatively speaking.  Clint left and Bobbi went to go find him, calm him down, and bring him back to the tower.  But she’ll need to hurry back here before the director notices she’s missing.”

“What do you need from us now?” Bruce asked.

“First we need to figure out what’s going on with Steve without Tony learning what we’re going to do.  Fury is currently distracted by a meeting with the council but he’s officially lost all credibility to run S.H.I.E.L.D.  He’s overreacting, going after his own people, unable to keep himself together…As soon as Clint returns make sure he stays there.  We need all of you together once we’re ready to move on to the next phase, whatever that may be.  Fury is going to order you to come down here Natasha but I’ll convince him neither you nor Dr. Foster can come in to work after both the attack on Stark Industries and Dr. Selvig passing away.  We do have another problem however, one which will need to be brought to Thor’s attention.”

“That can only mean one thing,” Pepper said quietly.

“Abnormally high geothermal readings have been detected around Iceland.  From what Danielle was able to tell us before she left and the information Thor brought back from Asgard, the giants from the fire realm are making their way upwards to Asgard.  And there’s still that dragon and wolf and…I don’t even know what anymore but Thor needs to know because he’s the only one here who can tell us the best course of action.  We do have a theory about what’s happening to Steve though.  He mentioned something to Tony about hearing a woman’s voice in his head.”

“Someone’s controlling him?  This has P.A.G.E. written all over it.”

“Not just that Bruce.”  Natasha grit her teeth.  “This has Emma Frost written all over it.  HYDRA planted a temporary distraction in the form of a physically and mentally deteriorating Steve.  But why?”

“They only wanted S.H.I.E.L.D.’s attention I think,” Pepper replied, slowly sitting up.  “They might be planning something much bigger and everything they’ve done so far, it’s just a taunt.”

“What could be bigger than trying to establish a Third Reich?”

“…finding a leader,” Bruce realized.  “Steve didn’t see the Red Skull die.  He saw him get sucked away by the power of the Tesseract, right?  And if he was also injected with the same serum he could still be alive.  This new HYDRA might not only be Neo-Nazi religious fanatics, they might actually be some sort of revivalist group.  And Tony said something about Emma collaborating with someone else.  That someone else may be the bridge that introduced HYDRA to Frost Enterprises.”

“Then we go there and kill Emma.  Even if she isn’t controlling Steve that woman deserves a slow and painful death.”

“Agent Romanov, you can’t go rogue on us.  You need to stay in the tower until we know what to do next.”

“But Coulson-”

“No buts.  Stay put.  I’ll keep you updated on everything.  Let me know when Clint returns-…Oh shit.”  He abruptly hung up and the three in the room exchanged nervous glances.

“Well that can’t be good.  So who’s telling Thor about the fire giants?” Bruce asked to break the awkward silence.  “Nose goes!” Pepper announced and both she and Natasha put their index fingers in their noses.


	15. Trust is a Rare and Valuable Commodity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some minor references to elements from Thor 2 here. Nothing that folks who haven't seen it yet won't understand though (and if you haven't, shame on you).
> 
> If you still haven't voted yet do so now; we'll know in the next Asgard chapter (two from now). Boy, girl, or multiple? http://taoandthen.deviantart.com/journal/poll/4044450/

Sif hardly slept the night prior, leaving her with dark circles under her eyes and a sour demeanor the following morning.  She wasn’t one to doubt Thor’s judgment but she did doubt Danielle’s ability to fight in a true war.  Whatever contributions she had made as DIGITAL and the help she offered when the Chitauri swarmed Asgard were meager compared to what would be required of her now.  She was intelligent, she had invaluable information, she was tactical, but she was not without limit.  As much as Sif hated to think it she feared that having a human in their ranks may prove to be more a liability than anything else.  She was still one of the few who saw humans as beneath Gods though nowhere near as strongly as Loki once did and Ratatosk had until his execution.  The attitude towards humans had taken a massive turn in Asgard and they were seen as complementary instead of inferior.  As a warrior Goddess Sif was quick to judge based on fortitude both of body and mind; humans were physically weaker by nature, hence her conviction in adherence to the older ways of thinking.  Considering her less than subtle affection for Thor many believed the sentiment had less to do with race itself but rather jealousy. 

Though the Warriors Three were some of the most formidable fighters Asgard had to offer they were not members of Odin’s secret war council.  They could hold their own in combat without question but holding a position on said council required both the ability to fight and lead a fight.  Over the years Sif had demonstrated far more leadership skill along with her combat prowess, solidified when she subdued Tyr after he fell into a belligerent drunken stupor and challenged her; as her reputation rose he came to see her as a rival.  It takes a healthy balance of courage and an intuitive fighting skill to take down a God of war, namely when the aforementioned God lives up to the stereotype of being bellicose and confrontational whether inebriated or not.  He still held a grudge against Sif for that but it had more to do with the fact that she was a woman.

Regardless of lacking a position she knew she had to tell the Warriors Three despite Odin’s explicit orders of secrecy.  She knew they could be trusted and the sooner they were informed the better as they themselves would have to prepare.  They spent plenty of time with the growing number of recruits and the fact that the Asgardian army was growing was an additional reason for suspicion.  They also knew she was hiding something though they had yet to uncover what or why.  On top of that it would put in Hogun in an uncomfortable position of having to fight his own people.  Sif had an inkling that he might take the news better from a comrade than a politician.

When she arrived at the castle that morning she found Hogun and Fandral training some of the new recruits.  The reason that Odin had fed everyone for the need to increase their numbers was because of shifts in political climate and the potential for adverse reactions from the other realms due to the impending marriage of Loki and Danielle; it wasn’t a complete fabrication so the Allfather couldn’t be called a liar.  Her eyes carefully scanned the sparring grounds from the balcony for her third companion but he was not present.

“You’re not going to find him here.  I’m sure you can infer his whereabouts considering there are only two places one would expect to find him in the castle.”  She looked over her shoulder and saw Loki standing behind her.  “Good morning Loki,” she greeted as cordially as possible.  Despite the changes in character Sif hadn’t forgotten the damage Loki had caused in Asgard nor had she forgotten all the pain he had caused Thor, the latter of which she was having an extremely difficult time forgiving.  As it stood Danielle was his most redeemable quality in the warrior Goddess’ eyes.

“Lady Sif,” he replied in a similar tone.  He had intuited that out of the four Sif was the one who would prove most challenging to earn the trust of again but he never saw a point in going out of his way to do it.  If and when the time came it would happen then, but it wasn’t a high priority.

“You don’t look well,” he remarked.  “Trouble sleeping?”

_Since when is my well-being any concern of yours?  You hardly look any better yourself._ “It would appear that sleep deprivation has plagued the both of us,” she said feigning concern.  Loki tried not to smirk.  “Danielle’s hormones have made her a bit more…energetic than usual, shall we say?”

“Lucky you,” she replied through grit teeth, disgusted by the thought of them being physically intimate, and then knit her brow in confusion.  “Hormones?”

He rolled his shoulders casually.  “She’s pregnant.  Wonderful timing, wouldn’t you agree?” he asked with amused sarcasm.  Considering the concerns the other realms had presented involved her having a child (his, to be specific) and the fact that a war was both inevitable and nearing the timing couldn’t be worse.

Despite knowing that Sif’s face lit up with excitement.  “She is?  I’ll have to be sure to congratulate her, even if it is yours.  She’s very fortunate that her betrothed has already endured the experience himself.  I’m sure that will help put her at ease when she is further along.”  _Now Jotunnheim’s fear has been validated.  And yet he seems to find humor in it…_

“She really is fortunate, isn’t she?” he agreed, much to her surprise, brushing off her passive-aggressive scathing reference to Sleipnir and pretending to take it as a compliment.  “And hopefully sooner than later it will be Thor’s turn.”  He did his best to hide a grin as her face went flush with anger.  “Though the thought of him being a father is a little…unnerving seeing as he is still somewhat a child himself.  But I’m sure his _human_ lover will compensate for that, considering how brilliant she is.  They complement each other quite nicely, wouldn’t you agree?” 

“You mean in a way similar to Lady Danielle’s humility and altruism complementing your arrogance and greed?” she asked with innocent curiosity.

“Evading my question are we?  That isn’t suspicious at all.”  He leaned closer and locked eyes with her.  “Here’s hoping that nothing, no one interferes with his attempts to reconcile with her…permanently.  You and I differ greatly in more ways one could count, but there is one thing we can agree on.  We both only want what’s best for Thor.  And as it stands the woman he left the throne for, Asgard for, seems to be without question-”

_SMACK!_

Breathing heavily Sif’s hand dropped down to her side, balling into a shaking fist.  Loki chuckled and put his hand on the red, stinging print she left on his cheek.  “Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, Lady Sif,” he mocked.  “Myself on the other hand…As I said, you and I differ greatly.”  As he turned away to make his departure he added, “If you wish to see Danielle she’s with Volstagg.  She challenged him to an eating contest.  Not her most aesthetically pleasing decision.”

Sif raised an eyebrow.  “You must be joking!” she exclaimed in disbelief.  One of the first signs of losing one’s mind was thinking they could outdo him in an eating contest, let alone entertain the idea of issuing the challenge in the first place.

He let out a frustrated sigh.  “The symptoms are apparently instantaneous and random in occurrence, ergo the spontaneous burst of energy I alluded to earlier.  Ready yourself, for no amount of training or combat experience can prepare you for the terrifying mood swings awaiting us.”

“Of all the times for you to impre-”

Placing a hand on his heart he interrupted with utmost sincerity, “For once I’m the innocent party.  She was the instigator.”  Sif pinched the bridge of her nose and folded her other arm over her chest.  “Keep talking and I fear I might vomit.” 

“To be fair, you did ask,” he pointed out before he left to find Danielle.  As Sif’s trust ranked so low on his list of priorities he took less issue than usual in antagonizing her, especially after the conversation Danielle overheard between she and Thor.  The way he saw it she had brought it upon herself.

As he left she called Fandral and Hogun over, looking around to make sure there were no guards within earshot.  She knew she was running the risk of Heimdall overhearing but she doubted at this point he would be bothered by her actions considering what it was he was beginning to see.

“Why so skittish?” Fandral asked, noticing her cautious body language.

“You recall realizing that I have been keeping something from you, correct?  I no longer care about the orders to keep the information secret.  We never had this conversation, do you understand?”  They exchanged glances and then nodded in agreement.  Her eyes darted back and forth quickly and then she moved closer to them so they were standing in a triangular fashion.

“The reason for the growing army, for Tyr frequenting the castle as often as he is, Lady Danielle’s return, and Yggdrasil weakening is…the universe is destroying itself.”

“Surely you don’t mean the convergence.  It’s far too early for that to happen again.  Are you referring to…Ragnarok?”  Fandral whispered the last word.  She nodded slowly.  “Yes.  It’s upon us.  There is no engagement.  Rather, it was a cover.  If they are to wed it is because they decided to, not because the Allfather commanded it.”

“Then why is Lady Danielle here?” Hogun inquired. 

“The cube chose her.” 

* * *

**Dining Hall**

Sif decided to stay with the troops and Hogun was in desperate need of catharsis after learning that he had to go to war with Vanaheim.  The responsibility of telling Volstagg had fallen upon Fandral, who was waiting patiently for the competition to come to an end.  He doubted it would anytime soon and was highly impressed by her immense appetite.  She had a high metabolic rate courtesy of the inherited serum but that alone wasn’t enough to grant her the ability to keep up with him.  It took a simple explanation from Loki to shed some light on how she managed the seemingly impossible feat.  He too was waiting patiently for it to end as he needed to speak with her immediately.  As soon as she awoke she hunted the warrior down and issued her challenge; in her absence Loki had been informed that Odin would be giving the announcement today and Danielle had yet to be told, as she cared for little more than satisfying her ridiculous pregnancy cravings at the moment. 

They stood side-by-side watching and wincing in disgust as Volstagg and Danielle continued their competition.  The servants had never endured such a powerful cardiovascular workout before as cups and dishes were thrown to the floor and tossed every which way while more food was brought out. 

“…that…is revolting…to say the very least.  Hard to imagine the future queen of Asgard eating like a barbarian.  And yet here I am bearing witness to it.  What have you done to that poor girl?” 

“Pregnant or not be mindful that Thor did help raise her,” Loki pointed out monotone.  As disgusting as her eating habits were he couldn’t bring himself to look away; it was like watching a train wreck.  A juicy, freshly roasted train wreck approximately three times the size of her head.  Fandral nodded.  “Ah, and it comes full circle.  At least it’s temporary,” the blond reminded with a smile as if that fact made all the difference.  Loki raised an eyebrow at him.  “That provides no consolation.  We have no way of knowing how long the pregnancy lasts.  Or what else it might to do her.  This is the first time a half-human, half-jotunn child has been procreated.” 

“She seems to be rather energetic for someone in her position.” 

“Energetic.  We’ll call it that, for lack of better words.”  _It’s true but it barely scratches the surface._

“What would you call it?”

“Unable to comply with anything other than baser instinct.” 

“By which I can only assume you refer to her other appetite?”  He gave Loki a pat on the shoulder.  “Well done.  That explains why you look so fatigued!  And the noises I overheard the guards complaining about this morning…Speaking of aggressive women, did you by chance see Sif this morning?  Something seems to be bothering her other than the, well, you know.”

“I haven’t the faintest idea what it could be,” he lied, instead exhibiting faux interest.

“She doesn’t seem quite concerned about the upcoming…you-know-what itself, but more so the preparations.  She is a commander after all.  Quite the burden to bear.  And a certain hammer-wielding comrade of ours happens to be elsewhere, a move not exactly in Asgard’s favor.  I’d have to guess that’s no doubt contributing to it.  And not only because of the impending skirmish he won’t be here for.”  He raised his eyebrows suggestively.  “Decades have gone by and yet he still strives to preserve the relationship with…with…whatever her name is.  I’m sure Sif loves coming in second to a human.”

_You have no idea how right you are_ , Loki thought to himself, remembering what Danielle had overheard about Sif not seeing herself as ‘a backup plan’ but ‘an improvement’.  “She is one of the few who still cling to the racial hierarchy.”

“She can deny it all she wants but I’m certain it’s jealousy.  To be honest I never understood why humans were once seen as inferior.”

“Of course not.  Remind me again how many potential bastard children you had running around Midgard after your excursions?  I lost count,” Loki teased.

“...that’s my point exactly.  I developed an appreciation for humans before anyone else even took the idea in prospect.”

“Appreciation exclusively for the women.”

“Now, now, no need to be critical.  It’s a work in progress.  And you’re one to talk.  Falling for her when she but an adolescent at that.  Have you no shame?”  Before Loki could retort Fandral let out a loud gasp and nodded forward.  “Do my eyes deceive me or is he surrendering?!  I’ll be damned!  I never thought I’d see the day.”

“And she’s…still…”  Loki put his face in palms and shook his head.  “I can’t watch this anymore.  I’m just going to pretend I don’t know her until this is over.  Inform her for me, would you?”  As he walked out of the dining hall Fandral jokingly called over his shoulder, “If you don’t know her does that mean I can ask her to help me continue to develop an appreciation for humans?”  Much to his surprise Loki said nothing.  He shrugged his shoulders and watched as Danielle poked the subdued Volstagg, asking if she could finish what was on his plate when suddenly his body was overcome with an itchy burning sensation.  It ran along his legs, arms, and back.  He rolled up his sleeve and saw his flesh covered by a swarm of angry, vicious red ants.  There wasn’t a single doubt in his mind this was Loki’s doing for the ‘harmless’ joke he had made about his fiancée.

From across the room Danielle noticed the itching fit he broke into and pointed forward.  “The hell is up with Fandral practicing interpretive dance?” she wondered aloud before taking another massive bite of roasted boar.  Volstagg shrugged, moping over his defeat.  “No idea.  But I saw Loki leaving only a moment ago.”  She snickered and continued eating.  “‘Bout time he started causing trouble around here.  Was starting to get worried about him what with how tame he’d been.”

“I admit I was too.  Wonder what triggered it?”  She raised an eyebrow at her former opponent.  “Dude.  It’s mother fucking Loki.  Since when does he need a reason other than…being Loki?”

“Fair point, m’lady.  Brings back fond memories.  And terrible ones.  But mostly fond ones.”

“Any I could use as blackmail?” she asked hopefully, holding back laughter so she wouldn’t choke on her food as she continued to watch Fandral.

“You want blackmail on Loki?  That’s a dangerous move, in case you weren’t already aware.”

“Duh.  He’s my fiancé.  Why wouldn’t I want blackmail on him?”

“It’s a little scary how well-suited you are for him.  Or that anyone is for him.”

“I get that a lot.”

After Loki’s spell wore off Fandral sat across from Danielle and Volstagg, trying his hardest to ignore the blonde as she continued to stuff her face.  “Lady Danielle, would you mind being so courteous as to punch the love of your young life a time or two for me?  Preferably in the reproductive organs, seeing as you don’t need them anymore.  Congratulations by the way,” he added with a smile.

“Thanks.  As for the punch…Depends.  What didja do?”

“Well, I simply made a harmless joke about you-”

“To a guy notorious for being jealous and possessive?” she interrupted between bites.  “That was brilliant, buddy.”

“It was just a joke!”

“And that was probably his way of demonstrating his particular brand of humor,” she retorted with a slight grin.

“What brings you here Fandral?  I doubt you came to watch my pathetic defeat…”

“Crybaby,” Danielle muttered.  Chuckling Fandral replied, “Sif sent me with a message for you.  She’s a little busy hurting things right now.  And you as well, oh Gluttonous One.  Loki came to give you a message as well but could no longer tolerate waiting as you outright repulsed him with your deranged appetite.”

She scowled.  “I didn’t get myself pregnant.  His fault.  He can deal with the consequences.”

“Fair enough.  When I arrived he had said there is to be an important announcement today and you would know what exactly he was referring to.”  She nodded and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.  “Sure do.  It’s about damn time too.  My guess is Sif’s message is related to it.”

Mindful of the sensitive information he was about to relay, he leaned closer to the two.  “What makes you say that?”

She carelessly tossed a bone aside, not entirely full but needing to prepare for Odin’s announcement to Asgard.  “I’m on the war council too.  We’ve been waiting for this announcement for awhile.  Hell, I dunno why he waited so long to do it…”

“Announcement of what?” Volstagg asked curiously.  Danielle nodded towards Fandral who sighed deeply.  “Prepare for battle, my friend.  Not one to be excited over, mind you.”

“Not excited?” he laughed.  “There’s only one battle that could cause such dread, mind you,” he replied mocking the blond man’s diction.  Fandral said nothing, only looked at him expectantly.  Volstagg’s eyes widened.  “You can’t be serious.”

“He’s serious.  But you can’t say anything about it until after the announcement.  That’s what Odin is gonna tell everyone.  I should get cleaned up.  Bleh, I’m covered in…I don’t even know what.”

“Sif mentioned that the engagement was merely a cover for your arrival,” Fandral whispered and Danielle nodded.  “Yeah, it was.  That was Odin’s idea.  We’re engaged though.  Decided to do it anyway, regardless of what he wants or thinks or whatever.  I’m not the Allfather’s puppet.  If I wanna get engaged to Loki, I’m getting engaged to Loki.  End of story.  Well boys, see you in the throne room.  Should I anticipate panic and mayhem to break out when people hear?”

“Let me put it this way for frame of reference,” Volstagg began.  “Some have been known to faint upon hearing the ‘R’ word.”

“For real?  Oh this is gonna be good.”

After leaving she rushed to her room, washed up, and quickly changed into something more appropriate for the announcement Odin was about to make, choosing a light green dress that perfectly matched the fading dye in her hair.  Upon arriving in the throne room she was escorted to a front row at the right which had been assembled for the war council and other important persons.  Usually during announcements and other events in the room all attendees stood.  Frigga was seated at the end of the row closest to the aisle, an empty space between her and Loki meant for Danielle.  The rest of the row was occupied by Tyr, Sif, and the Warriors Three in that order.  Across the room in the left row Vali, Narfi, and Hel were seated within proximity of three guards, one for each, and in perfect range of Odin’s peripheral line of sight.

As she took her seat she smoothed out the dress, still adjusting to wearing such clothes, trying not to grin when she felt Loki’s lascivious eyes on her.  It wasn’t tight per se but it didn’t leave much to the imagination.  One of the many reasons she had always been concerned with whether or not people could appreciate her as a person was her appearance; she had an hourglass figure which the outfit accentuated perfectly for his viewing pleasure.  He also couldn’t help but flaunt what was ‘his’.  She wasn’t so lucky as male Asgardian royal attire wasn’t even remotely figure fitting.  Instead she had to try her absolute hardest not to laugh when she saw him.

“Not a word,” he hissed when he noticed the amused sparkle in her eyes.  “Whatever you say…Reindeer Games,” she muttered.  Her chest tightened and she bit her lip to choke down the laughter. 

“Danielle, I swear-” 

“What a coincidence,” she interrupted.  “So do I.  ‘Fuck’.  See?  It’s amazing how much we have in common.  No wonder we’re so compatible.” 

“Remind me again why I tolerate you?” he asked with playful sarcasm. 

She grinned suggestively.  “I can remind you tonight.”  Frigga overheard their silly bout of banter and was highly entertained up until then, her face turning bright red.  _It’s no wonder as to why I’m going to have another grandchild so soon.  But must they be so open about it when others are in earshot?  Particularly his mother?_

Danielle glanced over at the throne and something strange caught her attention.  She elbowed Loki and nodded towards it.  “Missing raven,” she whispered and he blinked in surprise.  “I wasn’t even aware one had been sent out,” he replied quietly.

_THUD!_

Odin slammed Gungnir onto the floor, immediately silencing the hall.  He rose, his weathered face looking grave as he tightly clutched his spear as if preparing for battle.  “Good people of Asgard,” he began, “I wish I had only pleasant news to deliver but I am afraid such is not the case.  As many of you have noticed, perhaps even felt, something is wrong with Yggdrasil.  That ‘something’ the great tree is suffering from cannot be remedied conventionally.  A prophecy we had defined both our present and our future by came undone and has recently been rewritten.  The real reason I summoned Lady Danielle StevenandAnthonysdottir here is because she is the one the cube chose.  It has been revealing disturbing and frightening information to her, information that had eluded even Heimdall until now.  She has been relaying aforementioned information to myself since her arrival.  And these visions the Tesseract have given her have led us to only one explanation as to why Yggdrasil is hurting.  Ragnarok has begun.”

Odin’s words struck Loki as awkward at best, disturbing at worst.  The lies about Ragnarok’s beginning aside he felt that the entire truth hadn’t been disclosed when he made mention of the ‘real reason’ he wanted Danielle on Asgard.  Odin had said he wanted her there to communicate with the cube but it could communicate with her from a separate realm through her dreams.  The communication couldn’t be forced which seemed to be what he wanted as he was so insistent on bringing her there as soon as possible.  That fact carried a chilling implication- if communication could be conducted anywhere Danielle needn’t be in the same place as the cube.  She couldn’t force information from it as it decided the pace it revealed information to her.  Odin claimed her presence on Asgard was necessary for those very reasons.  It could be inferred that he needed her there for other reasons, perhaps one being that he needed her in the same realm as himself.

Danielle was taken aback by how dismissive his words seemed to be, giving her the impression that he had no intention to share more.  As the gathered crowd broke into the anticipated mass panic at the mention of the ‘R’ word she shook her head in disapproval and folded her arms over her chest, sinking down in her seat.  Loki noticed her annoyance and knew exactly what she was thinking.  He wouldn’t dare deny that he too was both surprised and angered by the fact that Odin was intentionally omitting as much as he was but even he knew better than to consider attempting what she had in mind. 

He gave her a quick shake of his head.  She narrowed her eyes and scrunched her lips together.  He leaned over and warned in a serious tone, “Don’t.”  She let out a sharp exhale.  Even if she couldn’t fully hear him over the crowd behind them she could read his lips and harshly retorted, “After the lecture on transparency and withholding information from your people how can I not?  He said so himself, I’ve told him all I know.  And he didn’t share any of it.  Or what happened in Niflheim.”  She pushed a finger into his chest.  “You know better than anyone else how big of a fucking hypocrite he is!  Tell me you’re not tempted and I’ll tell you you’re lying!” 

Luckily the noise kept Frigga from overhearing the two of them though their spat didn’t evade her vision.  Danielle’s back was turned to her and she was only able to see Loki’s face; it was quite obvious that he was scolding the blonde and from what she knew of Danielle it was more likely than not to keep her from acting upon anger.  Many a times Frigga found herself disagreeing with the way Odin handled how he addressed the people of Asgard but she was only the queen.  She lacked any authority to undo or alter Odin’s decisions and actions.  A part of her secretly hoped Danielle was planning to challenge him regarding the role of the queen.  Even if she only verbally expressed it to Sif there was little doubt in Frigga’s mind that Danielle would fight for equal authority between the king and queen once her time came.

Sif leaned back in her seat, peering behind Tyr’s bulky frame, and noticed the tiny squabble.  Despite Loki’s back being turned to her she could tell by Danielle’s heavy breathing and narrowed eyes alone that it was over something serious.  Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Odin, now seated as he waited for the pandemonium to die down before dismissing the people, was watching the couple and seemed pleased by what he saw.  She was under the impression that the feud between the current king and the queen-to-be was settling down.  Though she was unable to pick up on the awkwardness in his words the way Loki had, she found his body language telling.  She leaned over and murmured something to Tyr about her observation who agreed with her that something was off, wrong.  She was about to do the same with the Warriors Three until two very frightening words escaped Danielle’s lips.  She snapped her head in the blonde’s direction after hearing her exclamation.

“Fuck it!”  She stood up and began marching over to Odin.  All eyes in the row were on Loki who was shaking his head in irritation.  Sif reached behind Tyr and poked him in the shoulder, looking at him expectantly with the hope of an explanation.  The crowd’s volume was beginning to taper when they saw Danielle’s odd and audacious action.  No one had forgotten her behavior during Loki’s evaluation trial but that was an attempt at saving his life, and a preplanned action; this was a direct and impromptu challenge to the Allfather.

Loki grit his teeth, looked away, and then returned his attention to Sif.  “If she is so very insistent on causing trouble for herself, then let her,” he snapped at no one in particular.  “Apparently she knows what she’s doing!  So she can handle the consequences.  And if she complains about it later-”

“What is she doing?!” Sif barked, not interested in hearing him vent.  Loki raised an eyebrow at the war Goddess.  “You know her well enough by now.”  Her jaw dropped.  “No.  She knows better.”

Loki grinned cynically.  “Of course she does.  Is that going to stop her?  Perish the thought.”  He glanced up at the throne where Danielle began to engage in a massive argument with Odin.  “Combine that with her anger clouding her judgment and it’s only natural she’s going to instigate an opportunity to do what she believes to be best.”

“That being?”

Now his temper was beginning to get the better of him and Sif had to bear the brunt of it, being the one conversing with him.  “You and I both know how much information he deliberately didn’t relay.  And if there’s one thing she can’t help but do it’s to put the well-being of others before herself in times of crisis.  For better or for worse.  If that means arguing with him of all people she’ll do it.  It’s not reckless impulse.  It’s overprotective instinct, something that can be neither undone nor easily restrained.”

Tyr, overhearing the conversation behind him, smirked in amusement.  “This is going to be entertaining.”  Sif punched him in the arm.  “Keep your mouth shut,” she ordered fiercely in a tone typically reserved for disobedient soldiers.  “There has to be a way to stop her before it gets worse.”  Loki shrugged.  “And I wish you all the best with that.  If I couldn’t stop her from initiating this what hope is there for you to stop her now?”

“You can forcibly silence her, can you not?”

“Yes, I can.  Will I?  No.  As I said, if she’s so adamant on doing what she feels must be done then she will face the consequences.  She needs to learn she can’t always have her way and at times must bite her tongue whether she likes it or not.  Even a feral creature only capable of acting upon instinct can be caged.”

“More and more I’m starting to like her,” Tyr muttered.  Loki glared at him.  “You I **will** forcibly silence the next time you open your mouth.”

“Not my fault you can’t keep your woman under control.”  Sif punched him again, this time leaving a mark that would surely turn into an ugly bruise.  He sent a glare in her direction which she easily brushed off.  “Save your anger for the battlefield, wench” he chided.

“Save your unnecessary commentary _period_.”

On the other side Vali and Narfi were watching anxiously.  They were surprised Odin made no mention of the mists nor their revival, or Hel’s presence.  If the cube was showing Danielle such disturbing information that meant there was even more to be shared, things they themselves weren’t aware of.  Hel remained apathetic.

After marching up to the throne, a move Odin had anticipated Danielle hissed in his face, “So much for that lecture on transparency.”

“They were told what they needed to know.  They are not soldiers.  They understand Ragnarok implies a feud between the realms.  How did I go against my lesson to you?  I told you one must adapt their actions.  And if they know the implications then what more is there for me to share?  Or is this not about my actions, but the information itself?  Do you want them to know the reason for Ragnarok is your doing?  That you are the one rewriting the prophecy and have been doing so for years after being chosen by the cube?  In lying I protected you so you could continue your work with the Tesseract to uncover more information.  Information that could save us all.  Information you clearly wish to share.  You would lose that opportunity should they lose faith in you knowing you caused this, putting the realms at a higher risk.  You should be grateful to me.”  He spat his last words venomously.

_Senator Stern all over again._   “…I don’t care how that’ll change their opinion of me.  The citizens of Asgard have a right to know how and why their realm is in danger, the same way Midgard is working to minimize the damage that’ll be caused down there.  Isn’t that the reason Thor left?  If you’re so fucking concerned with the war then why not stop him?!  Why let him fight down there instead?!”

“You and I both know the real reason he left!” Odin barked.  She rolled her eyes.  “That was only a part of it.  Because you and I both know how much he loves Earth.  He helped raise me down there for fuck’s sake!  Jane isn’t the only person he left Asgard for!  His allies are suffering and he knows Nidhogg WILL pass through.  I’m guessing Surt will too on their little sojourn up the tree considering how close Muspelheim is to Midgard, should they take that course of action.  There’s only so much the Avengers can do without him.  Even if Thor didn’t know about my family’s suffering or the danger Earth is in he still would’ve left!  Not just for Jane!”  She put her hands on her hips.  “Why do I get the impression I know two of your sons better than you?”

“Bite your tongue, human!” he ordered.

“Thor helped raise me but he was NOTHING like you.  Not a father figure to me but important in my upbringing regardless and never did he try to instill in me self-aggrandizing behavior, self-perceived authority, a sense of entitlement...”

He narrowed his eyes at her and threatened, “Unless you wish to spend the rest of your days in the dungeons-”  He abruptly stopped when she mimicked his body language, staring him down.  She was about to act and he was confident that in doing so her reputation would plummet.  He preferred her involvement as a whole remain secret so she could continue working with the Tesseract but that could easily be done in the dungeons if need be.

She took a deep breath, a step back to situate herself for the ideal acoustics so her words would echo, and shouted, “You just deliberately **LIED** to the whole of Asgard about how Ragnarok started!  It wasn’t recently rewritten and you know it!  I know it!  Because I started it inadvertently eight Midgardian years ago!  I caused it _without_ realizing it when the cube chose me, not a few days ago when it started communicating with me!  Everything you just said about the ontology couldn’t be ANY farther from the truth!  That information should not be exclusive to those involved in the fight itself because the ENTIRE universe is caught in the crossfire!  The ENTIRE universe is part of the fight, not only the enlisted!  Why should the people only be told what you think they need to know?!  And more importantly why do you think they don’t need to know every fucking detail?!  Sitting on that throne doesn’t mean you can control flow of information, both in terms of authority and capability!  Word would get out one way or another; a title and a golden seat can’t stop that!  You have the gall to lecture me on gaining the people’s trust only to run the risk of the truth spreading like wildfire behind your back?!  How is Asgard supposed to trust you then?!  Sure, you just put me on the spot and now everyone knows that I hold all this information because of the fact that I started it but like I said, I **DON’T** care!  Why do you think I’m trying so hard to decipher these nightmares?!  ‘Cause it sure as shit isn’t recreational!  It’s because I want to know what’s going on so EVERYONE ELSE can too!  I’m the only person the cube will talk to and I’ll be double damned if I have to keep that information to myself!  Is that my way of ‘atoning’ for starting Ragnarok?  No!  Ragnarok would’ve started as soon as the cube picked someone, end of story!  And that someone just happened to be me!  That’s on me whether I like or not!  And I took initiative to do something about it!  And what’s your contribution to this cataclysmic mess?!  Withholding information from your own fucking people!”

Vali and Narfi’s eyes went wide.  Hel remained stoic in expression.  Frigga folded one hand over the other and covered her mouth.  Sif inhaled deeply and held her breath.  Fandral gasped loudly.  Hogun folded his arms over his chest.  Volstagg bit his nails anxiously.  Tyr smirked in amazement.  Loki wasn’t sure how to respond.  He had been looking forward to the day that she challenged him for his actions but he was under the impression it would be for the false engagement and without an audience.  He was hardly surprised she was more than willing to expose Odin for the person Loki realized he truly was.  That person wasn’t the father he had genuinely been during the eight years away from Danielle. 

During that period he had said she would make a good queen and Loki detected only truth in his words, but that didn’t mean he wanted her to hold the title.  To secretly come up with a scheme to expose him would take little effort on both his and her part and was far less dangerous than her current public display of rage.  It occurred to him that her absence may very well have been the reason why he became so amicable and her return and involvement in causing Ragnarok was responsible for the change in his demeanor, not Ragnarok itself.

“I also warned you about acting upon emotion instead of logic, did I not?!”

“Then explain to me where the logic is in withholding information after explaining how being selective about what’s relayed makes a ruler appear untrustworthy!”

He pointed at the crowd.  “As I said, you’re the one who holds the information!  You tell them!  Tell them everything that will happen because you caused Ragnarok!”

“Gladly!  I’d gladly tell them how Vanaheim is pissed off about the next in line for the throne, believing Asgard to no longer be under jurisdiction of the Gods and try to annex it!  I’d gladly tell them that Niflheim was destroyed by the primordial mists traveling up Yggdrasil, destroying everything it touches in the process!  I’d gladly say that Helheim was destroyed and Hel is in Asgard, and that Vali and Narfi have been revived and they’re here as well!  I’d gladly tell them about the religious fanatics on Midgard that have forced Earth into Ragnarok, one of many reasons why Thor isn’t here!  I’d gladly tell them that Garm turned on Hel and after she beat the shit out of him Nidhogg entered the fray and is now leading an army up Yggdrasil with the intention of killing you and Fenrir!  I’d gladly tell them that we have no idea what Muspelheim is doing but if those mists touch its fires then we’re all fucked!  And above all I’d gladly tell them that Jotunnheim claims to have no issue with Asgard, just me!  That they’d back off if I head back to Midgard and call off the engagement!  But ya know what?  I don’t think they would because their world has fallen to shit and the easiest way to amend that is to get back the casket you stole, they’ve been saving their throne for Loki because inheritance is determined by blood, they know how you didn’t ‘save his life’ but kidnapped him as revealed by Angrboda and think Asgard is in possession of a political prisoner, they want Vali and Narfi dead, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they wanted to take back Fenrir and Hel because they’re so damn obsessed with pure bloodlines!”

“Then why does your presence make Asgard a target still if you stayed?” he challenged.  “If you’re so obsessed with sharing the truth, then tell them, tell them why!”

She paused.  Asgard would know soon enough but this wasn’t the way she wanted them to know.  In revealing it now she revealed that her unborn baby was also a target.  There was only one way to solve that problem.

“Well,” she said quietly to Odin, “the people would find out one way or another, right?  Might as well hear it from me.  After all, this whole mess is my fault.  So what’s one more?  But, um, I think you might regret this one.”

“I doubt that.”

She folded her arms across her chest and turned her back to him, facing the citizens of Asgard.  She could tell by the looks on some of their faces and the plethora of whispering people that some had already put the pieces together.  “The primary reason Jotunnheim is having a hissy fit, like I said, is because I’m an overachiever.  Not even queen yet, not even married yet, and there’s already an heir on the way.  Jotunnheim’s obsession with pure blood makes me a target because the baby is a target, so my existence would make me a target no matter what realm I’m on.  And like I said, there’s still stuff on Asgard Jotunnheim wants so irrespective of me leaving or not…You can still anticipate an attack from four different enemies with very different agendas.  Yet to learn Muspelheim’s but I’m gonna play with the cube later today to try and find out what it is.  Assuming, of course, I’m not locked up or evicted, for lack of better words.”

If it was true that Odin needed her in the same realm as him that only strengthened Loki’s theory that he was using her for more than speaking with the cube.  Danielle would be useless to him once the riddle was revealed in full; if she was no longer needed she became expendable and disposable.  If all of that was the entirety of why he expressed immense need in having her in his domain then the reason could be that, after he no longer needed her, he wanted her dead.  Though it was a stretch to believe so it seemed, for reasons he couldn’t understand, the only explanation.  Loki couldn’t help but be reminded of Laufey’s words when Thor decided to barge into Jotunnheim.  “The house of Odin is full of traitors.” 

* * *

**Loki and Danielle’s Room**

Loki awoke with a start, jolting upright in bed.  Beads of sweat ran down his forehead and trailed along his face.  Breathing quickly he wiped them off with the back of his hand, gulping heavily.  _That was…a dream?_

Danielle, who was casually sprawled on the divan across from the fireplace with a book in hand slowly sat up.  “‘Bout time you woke up,” she said with a yawn and got up, approaching the bed.  She was in the same green dress Loki had seen her wear in the dream.  She too looked slightly disturbed by something.  “After I came here to get ready,” she began sitting near his shaking form, “you were practically knocked out.  Wouldn’t wake up.  You missed Odin’s announcement.  He left a lot out.  Only mentioned the “real reason” I’m here.”  She used her fingers to make air quotes.  “And he said Ragnarok is here and…that was about it.  I had half a mind to go up there and scream at him for everything he didn’t mention but Sif talked me out of it.  Something about how she’d tell you to put up a barrier that would keep me from being able to get into the library.  The weirdest part was he said the new prophecy began to write itself when the cube started talking to me, but it was doing that after it picked me.  It just didn’t start talking to me until recently.  Was hoping you would wake up earlier and I kept coming to check on you but you were out.  Spent the day with the boys as promised.  Oh, that reminds me.  We need to figure out to do about Hel.”

“Spent the day with…?  How long have I been asleep for?”

“Take a look.”  She pointed towards the curtain that had been drawn partway so she could still watch the sunset.  “So…the nightmare you were having…I need you to tell me everything you saw.”

“How did you know?” he asked blinking in surprise.

“Honey, you’re a hot mess right now.  You’re practically hyperventilating.  And this might have something to do with you being in possession of a Tesseract-powered scepter again which I hoped wouldn’t happen.  I was playing with the cube earlier and it told me some new stuff…After I came back to check on you again I could feel its aura all over you.  Still do a little but it’s fading.  The stuff that I learned, I don’t think I can decipher honestly to Odin.  A part of me thinks that what it told me is somehow related to the nightmare that, for once, someone other than me had.  Unfortunately that someone had to be you.”  She pulled herself completely onto the bed and slid over so they were sitting side to side.  Leaning her shoulder into his she murmured, “I’m sorry.”  She slipped an arm behind him, palm resting on the bed.

He shook his head.  “Unless you willed it upon me you have no reason to be.”  His respiratory system began to steady its pace.  He had no idea until now how physically taxing the nightmares Danielle had been experiencing were.  “That part of you is correct in thinking that Odin cannot know whatever it is you learned.  What I saw, dreamt, whatever you wish to call it, has given me reason to believe that Odin wants you for more than just the riddle.  He is not to be trusted.”  She nodded slowly.  “Yeah.  And he’s not the only one.  I already clued in Sif, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, and Tyr.  What the riddle told me freaked them all the fuck out and they won’t breathe a word to anyone.  They aren’t in Odin’s fanclub anymore, shall we say?  Now it’s a matter of figuring out what to tell your mother…”

“Not the only one?  To whom exactly are you referring?”  Eyes downcast she parted her lips and exhaled slowly, placing her other hand in her lap. 

“Before I tell you, what did Fandral say and what did _you_ say to Sif that made her slap you?”

“Danielle, your priorities are in dire need of rearrangement.”  She shook her head and pulled her legs beneath her, twisting her body at the waist so she was facing him completely.  A hand still on the bed for support she slid her free hand around him, pulling him against her.  His head landed on her shoulder and he nestled it against her neck.

“Those are priorities number three and four.  Right now priority number one is you.  Priority number one is always you.”  _This is gonna kill him_.  She began rubbing his side soothingly, hesitant to reveal the second suspect.  “Just a forewarning, you’re not gonna take this well.”

“Of course I won’t.  Knowing Odin is potentially plotting against you is troublesome enough.”  Eyes half-lidded, he added, “I highly doubt it will be more than I can handle.”  He could feel her pulse begin to steadily rise.

“OK, Odin aside, priority number two and the other person of concern…”  She tapped her fingers on the bed. 

“Enough stalling,” he muttered impatiently. 

“Like I said…We need to figure out to do about Hel.”


	16. War, Blood, and Tea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is taken from the Emilie Autumn song "Time for Tea", specifically the lines 'It's time for war, it's time for blood, it's time for tea' and 'Revenge is a dish that is best served now'.

**Starbucks, 6:41 PM**

“Remind me again why I moved to Manhattan?” Bobbi griped as she sat down at the table Clint was saving for them.  “I swear, the traffic here…”  She shook her head and sighed heavily in frustration.  “You didn’t order yet?” she asked, noticing the lack of food on the table.

“Didn’t want it to be cold by the time you got here.  Rather, didn’t want to have to deal with any complaints about it being cold by the time you got here.”  He had a feeling she would throw a quip at him so he gave her a knowing look as he rose from the table.

She rolled her eyes.  “Alright, I’m a little persnickety about that.”

“A little?” he grinned as he went up to counter to order.  Behind the counter was a gorgeous blonde with vibrant green eyes.  She appeared young, perhaps in her mid-twenties, had a warm smile that could melt Jotunnheim, and radiated a bright and congenial aura that would put all of the gold in Asgard to shame. 

“Are you…ready to order?” she asked in voice so gentle it could soothe a baby better than a mother’s touch could hope to.  It wasn’t until she spoke that Clint realized he had been staring at her for five minutes or so.

“Yes, right, um, yeah, sorry.  Was lost in thought.”  _Where have you been all my life?_   He placed the order and waited on the far end of the counter until it was ready.  Bobbi noticed his tense muscles and how he kept casting glances at the barista at eight second intervals, a number she calculated using the stopwatch function on her phone. 

She rolled her eyes again, remembering how incorrigibly flirtatious Clint had been with her before she finally agreed to date him.  After Natasha brought to his attention that he unintentionally shot her down for a dinner date he had been relentless in trying to get back on her radar.  Bobbi wasn’t picky per se nor did she have rigid standards when it came to suitable romantic partners but it was difficult for her to agree to go on a dinner date five months after she had proposed the same idea to him, only to be rejected.  And though he was by no means as stubborn as some of the others in hodgepodge social circle he didn’t shy away from or let go of attraction very easily, hence his holding the torch for Natasha for so long.

“Did you see her?  She is drop dead gorgeous,” Clint muttered, eyeing the barista as he sat down at the table.  Bobbi scoffed.  “If you say so.  I wasn’t paying attention.”

“You’re not…jealous, are you?” he teased passing her plate to her.  She shook her head, giving him a half-condescending, half-worried mother look.  “Oh Clinton…don’t flatter yourself.  Just don’t pursue the girl, hm?  Regardless of age difference you shouldn’t be chasing after hot young blondes simply because they’re hot young blondes.  Cradle robber.”  After her playful jab she greedily attacked the food in front of her.

“I’m not planning on chasing after her…”

“Is that why her number is written on your cup?” she asked pointing at his drink.

“It is?!”  He inspected it eagerly and Bobbi burst out laughing.  “That was just mean,” he pouted as he worked on his drink.  She shrugged apathetically as she continued eating.  “I think after six years I’m entitled to taunting you every now and then.”  He stuck his tongue out at her.  Despite everything that had happened and was no doubt continuing to happen at base he felt very relaxed.  Removing himself from the environment and knowing Fury was going to receive some sort of comeuppance certainly helped.  Having Bobbi for company, regardless of the fact that the she was his ex-girlfriend with whom he had a nasty breakup, provided some strange sort of comfort as well.  It was certainly better than being alone or with someone who didn’t know him or the situation at all; if he suddenly began to go on a massive rant or started shooting birds in the park for cathartic purposes she wouldn’t feel the need to take him to nearest hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

“So how do think the little one is doing?” he asked quietly before taking a sip of his drink.  It was just what he needed to fend off the cold and as comfort food.

“Little one?”  Bobbi instinctively put her hand on her stomach.  Clint nodded upwards.  “ _That_ little one,” he elaborated.

She parted her lips in a small ‘o’.  “In the six years that I knew her one of the first things I noticed about her is that she’s intelligent and stubborn.  Dangerous combination.  That said I think she’s able to take care of herself.  Even if she had to leave home she does already have two people from there with ‘high social standing’, we’ll call it, who could advocate for her if need be.  She has a lot to figure out in terms of her engagement and the work she has to do for…starts with an ‘O’ and rhymes with ‘snowed in’.  She already has a decent chunk of it under her belt.  And though it has been known to get her in trouble I think her stubborn streak works to her advantage here.  She’s a fish out of water and I doubt everyone is going to welcome her with open arms.  But she knows how to stand her ground and get the job done.  Not exactly one to shy away from a challenge.  If anything, she thrives on challenges.  What about you?”

He shook his head, lips thinning.  “I don’t know.  I like to think she’s in good hands but I never saw her and…starts with ‘L’ and rhymes with ‘hokey pokey’.  Never saw them together.  I know he makes her happy and if that ever changes, so help me I’ll jam an arrow through his skull.  Sure, I’m not her parent, but I’m still her family.  I can’t help but worry about whether or not she’s in good hands.  And you’re right, she can take care of herself and stand her ground but…Who knows what she’s up against over there?  Does she even know?”

“She has ‘hokey pokey’ to support her.”

“Yeah, well last I heard she and ‘snowed in’ aren’t on good terms, and neither are he and ‘hokey pokey’.  Conflict of any kind is inevitable, I get that.  But if she’s planning on getting married and is gonna get someone like that for a father-in-law…I worry about how well she’s holding up if she has to live with that, to deal with it on a daily basis.”

“And before you know it ‘hokey pokey’ will finally get that army he tried to assemble,” she said in a sarcastically dreamy voice.

“Ar…my?” he asked with cautious curiosity.

“Half-‘little one’, half-‘hokey pokey’.  Can you just imagine the adorable little battalion of hellions they’d create?”  Bobbi grinned as he swallowed hard, trying not to spit up his drink.  He coughed a few times and glared at her.  “Are you trying to kill my appetite?” he hissed.

“What do you think they were doing alone in that house of hers while he was-?”

Clint poked an index finger in both his ears.  “Not listening, not listening, not listening,” he sang quietly.

“What’s so bad about it?  They’re in love, they’re engaged.  You remember that old children’s rhyme, don’t you?  ‘First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes-’”

“Then comes Bobbi shutting her face,” he said and put an elbow on the table pointing at her.  “Her dad tried to keep her from getting married and failed.  Her father would probably have an aneurism if he even thought about his baby girl doing the deed with ‘hokey pokey’ of all people, especially if she’s anything like her dad in that respect…if you know what I mean.  But she is never, _never_ having babies.  No.  Giving her the talk was by far the most awkward conversation we ever had with that girl…Steve didn’t know what to say, Tony was saying too much, Natasha was tailoring it to gender, Bruce had nothing to contribute, Thor was probably learning too, and I had to leave the room as soon as daddy dearest started talking about sex toys.  Which earned him a prompt smack from our resident redhead Russian with ridiculous reflexes.”

Bobbi snorted in amusement as she put her jacket on.  “She’s growing up, Clint.  If and when the time comes, what can you do about it?  Look at this way.  By the time it happens, if it does, it will be a long time from now.  Everyone will have adjusted to this relationship and relocation by then, correct?”

“No,” he huffed.  She raised an eyebrow at him as she stood up, depositing her plate in the bin for dirty dishes.  “Since when are you so overprotective of her?” she asked surprised as they made their way out into the parking lot.  Clint clutched his cup to keep his hands warm.  “Always have been.  But that’s not the problem.”  He leaned against his car.  “The last time she saw him she was just a kid.  Sure, they found ways to keep in touch while they waited for the eight years to end.  But how much did she mature?  How much did the relationship mature?  They’re able to spend time together now but, well, people change.  What if she’s not the same person he was initially attracted to?  What if he’s not the same person she was initially attracted to?  I just don’t want her to feel like it’s as easy as ‘picking up from where they left off’.  It’s practically a whole new relationship for them, especially now that he’s changed so much and she’s older.  Her mindset, priorities, even some personality traits have changed since she last saw him.  What if…they’re not the people they used to be?  And they’ve become so different that they can’t have anything together?”

Bobbi nodded slowly and buried her hands in her pockets.  “That’s a fair concern.  She was still young when they met.  He wasn’t around to see her grow up, only hear of it during those rare occasions when they could communicate.  But if she’s as stubborn and intelligent as I like to think she is and you know she is she may have taken things like that into consideration.  And if she really does love him she’d fight tooth and nail to make it work.”

“But would she fight because she wants to be with him or because she’s afraid of not getting what she thought she would…and she thinks she can change that?  She started falling for him when she was sixteen.  Will she change, become a kid again, because it’s not turning out to be what she thought?  Turn back the clock to be the person she was when they first met and that spark was ignited?”

She folded her arms over her chest.  “Where is all of this suddenly coming from?”

“I don’t know.  I’m just worried about her.  And can you blame me?  Even without the relationship she still has an interdimensional war to worry about.  We all do.  Not to mention Steve and everything happening inside S.H.I.E.L.D.  I’m afraid to think about what’s going on there.”  He shook his head.  “I don’t think I can handle going back right now and not just because of Fury’s orders.  Something’s going on but I trust Coulson and the others to take care of it.  What ‘it’ is.”

“As much as I would love to continue this conversation you should go back.  I need to return to the base.  Just try to relax, alright?  I’m sure things will be tense there as well but…it’s home and you’ll be in good company.”  She put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.  “Danielle has always firmly believed that everything happens for a reason, correct?  Something to meditate on.  Fury can’t handle his position anymore, the tragedy with Dr. Selvig and Steve has brought us closer to learning more about the enemy, and it gave you the chance to get out those concerns which have no doubt been wearing you down.  Who knows what else could come of all this?”  Bobbi noticed where her hand was and quickly retracted but much to her surprise Clint didn’t seem bothered by it.

“Yeah.  Like that saying about how sometimes things need to fall apart so something better can fall into place.”

“Exactly.  Take care of yourself, alright?  Don’t do anything rash or foolish.  Wait until this mess is dealt with and we formulate our next move.”

“I’ll try.  But you’re wrong.  I won’t be in good company.  Jane is probably a hot mess so Thor is busy consoling her.  Pepper had a traumatic experience today so Natasha will be with her.  And unless Darcy was called to base Bruce will be consoling her.  If not he’ll need to be left alone to avoid the risk of something setting off his temper.  I’ll be on my own over there.”

_Natasha and Clint have always been close.  In hindsight I think I felt as though whenever he and I weren’t together he was with her.  But she is her own person.  She has her own life.  Clint knows that.  He accepts that.  Did I…make a mistake?  Of all the times to be wondering that.  Damn it Bobbi, it’s over.  It happened and then it ended._   “Find something to preoccupy yourself, alright?  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about you.”

“Worried about me?  You’re the one going back to ground zero.  I don’t care what they’re planning.  Being there puts you in a dangerous place.  Be careful.”

“Only if you promise to take care of yourself.”

He extended a hand.  “Shake on it?”  She took his in her own and shook it.  “I’m holding you to this.”

“Same goes for you.  Go be productive and awesome or whatever it is that they need you to do, got it?”

“As if I’m even capable of a subpar performance,” she grinned.  There was a brief awkward silence between them which Clint quickly broke.  “Well I should head home then.  See you when I when you again.  Good luck.”

“Luck?  I don’t need luck,” she replied as he got inside his car.  “I have science.”

“You know what I mean.”  He gave a small wave before driving off.  Bobbi backed up onto the pavement and watched him drive off.  She glanced down at the ground once his car was out of sight.

“Fall apart to fall back together…”  She dropped her forehead in her palm and sighed.  “Not now.  I can’t think about that right now.  Or ever.  It’s…done.  And nothing better is going to fill that gap.  Nothing involving him.”  Her highly developed senses from years of training kicked in when she heard a suspicious sound from the back of the restaurant.  Casting aside all thoughts and doubts she stealthily snuck around the corner to listen in on what sounded like a bird, particularly a crow or raven, screeching loudly.  The grating sound ended with a sickening popping noise, a noise she was all to familiar with- the cracking of bones.

“Let’s see what we have here,” a familiar voice muttered and her eyes widened.  It was undoubtedly the barista who had entranced Clint, but her tone was dark and bordered on sadistic.  Bobbi moved closer and pulled out her signature pair of sunglasses, holding them at an angle so she could see what was happening behind the building.  The bird she heard earlier was on the ground, its neck crushed and head turned one-hundred and eighty degrees.  The barista carefully unfolded a small piece of parchment and began pacing back and forth, eyes wide with excitement.  She looked around to ensure no one was within earshot and slowly read aloud to herself. 

“‘Thor, I implore you to return Asgard.  Midgard is certainly doomed; your presence will not be enough to stop the damage Surt’s fires and Nidhogg’s armies will cause.’  That explains the seemingly random rise in temperature near Iceland one of the other baristas mentioned.  Surt is close.  What else…‘In addition I, as both your father and Odin Allfather hereby forbid you from pursuing a romantic relationship with that woman or any other human.  You are already wed to Lady Sif and it would reflect poorly on myself, as well as insult your ancestors, should you not only continue this adultery but continue it with a creature beneath you.  Return to Asgard immediately and rejoin the war council.  The people now know of Ragnarok and need your presence to boost morale and sense of security.  The armies need you in battle.  Lady Sif is strong but she is a woman; the inherent weaknesses of the fairer sex make her a liability.  Do you want that on your conscience?  In case you have not yet inferred the implication from my disapproval of relationships between Asgardians and mere mortals this sentiment is not exclusive to you.  To do this day I remain baffled as to why the cube chose her.  Not only that but why Loki chose her.  If he was able to change his ways who’s to say Sigyn could not have done the same?  He had no reason to seek affection elsewhere.  That woman has inflicted a toxic influence upon our people.  I refuse to allow a human to take the throne and seeing as Loki’s judgment has been clouded by her lecherous and calculating nature I cannot trust him in such a position either.  You are the only remaining heir to the throne.  I need you to return so you may take your place as king when the time comes.  As both your father and Odin Allfather you are not under any circumstances permitted to disclose this information to another, especially the sentence that is to follow.  I know how to end the war without sacrificing our troops and ideally forge an alliance with our current enemies- by giving…’.”  She abruptly stopped and broke into a malicious grin.  “Oh my.  Vanaheim will certainly want to hear about this.  I had no idea you hated humans so much, Odin.  And the lengths you’re willing to go to in effort to make nice with the others…You claim to desire peace and prosperity, but at a price you are more than happy to pay.  I wonder what would happen if Thor never received this message.  Only one way to find out.” 

As she slipped the note in her pocket and cast a wicked grin at the dead raven Bobbi felt her stomach lurch.  _No.  No, no, no._ She put a hand over her mouth to muffle the gagging noises but it proved futile.  The sorceress in disguise raised an eyebrow in curiosity as she overheard the unmistakable sound of vomiting.  When she turned the corner and saw Bobbi, pale and clutching her stomach, her lips curved to the side in a devious smirk.

“You were with the archer…Thor’s comrade.  You, my dear, will make for the perfect bait.”

* * *

**7:24 PM, Avenger’s Tower**

“Fucking traffic,” Clint mumbled as he trudged up to his room.  He wasn’t expecting a welcoming committee in the common area and looked around curiously.  “Why are you two out here?”

“Coulson wanted us to wait for you.  You know, the staged house arrest,” Natasha replied and quickly explained everything relayed during the phone call and their suspicions from the following conversation they had.  Hearing about how the call had ended only intensified the archer’s tension.  Pepper called to confirm Clint’s arrival while Natasha explained.  Bruce was off talking with Thor about the geothermal readings in Iceland to learn more about what that meant.

After Pepper ended the call with Coulson she looked over her shoulder.  “What took you so long to come back?  We were starting to worry HYDRA took you.”

“I needed some time to cool down.  Even if Coulson is handling what’s going on down there I can’t even…I needed a break.  I went to Starbucks and Bobbi met up with me before returning to base.  I needed the company I guess.”

Natasha’s eyes widened in shock.  “You’re kidding.  I know you’re able to be civil at work but going out together?  It wasn’t a date was it?”

“No, it wasn’t a date,” he snapped.  “I just needed to get away for awhile and she was worried about me. That’s all.”

“Alright, alright.  How are you feeling now?”

He shrugged.  “I dunno.  Overwhelmed?  It’s not just S.H.I.E.L.D. or Steve or HYDRA.  I’m starting to worry about Dani too.  Call it archer’s intuition if you will but I can’t help but feel like something’s off.  Maybe Tony and Steve have rubbed off on me, I don’t know.  There’s just too much going on.”

Pepper rose from the couch and pulled out one of Natasha’s many boxes of tea, her secret to maintaining composure in her line of work and wrestling with memories from her life in Russia.  She made Clint a cup of chamomile with a dash of honey to help soothe his nerves which he graciously accepted.  Even if it was his weakness a caffeinated drink was definitely a poor choice to consume in a time of crisis.  He sat down on the couch across from them and drank slowly.

“How’s Jane?”

“She hasn’t come out of Thor’s room.  Maybe I should bring her some tea as well…”  Though Natasha was technically the housewife and Pepper the working woman, her experience working under Tony when he was still CEO instilled a nurturing streak which involved making coffee or tea on a regular basis, the former mostly for him and the latter for her to cope with the insanity that came with her position.  She left the two agents to talk amongst themselves and went to Thor’s room.  She could barely make out the conversation he was holding with Bruce a few doors down.  After a few soft knocks on the door Jane finally answered.

“Not taking visitors,” a raspy voice on the other side called.

“I just came to bring you something to help soothe your nerves,” Pepper replied.  “Clint returned and I made him some.  I thought you could use a cup too.”

“Drinking?  Now?  Are you fucking kidding me?” the scientist snapped.

“God no.  I used to work for Tony, I know better.  It’s just some chamomile tea with a little honey.”  There was no response and the acting CEO sighed.  _I tried_ , she thought to herself before seeing Thor coming in her direction.  She smiled softly and handed him the mug.  “Give this to Jane.  It’s some herbal tea to help soothe her, even if only a little.”

“Thank you Pepper, you are most kind,” he replied graciously.

“I’m married to an assassin,” she chuckled.  “One of us has to be nice.  Darcy does call her Scary Wife, after all.”

“I heard that!” Natasha shouted and the blonde rolled her eyes.  “I can’t even begin to imagine what she’s going through right now but I do offer my condolences.  It’s been confirmed that Steve wasn’t responsible.  HYDRA did something to him and he lost control.  I don’t know if that will be any consolation but I thought you at the very least should know that your friend and teammate hasn’t lost his mind.”

He nodded.  “I suspected that to be the case.  Even in his fragile state Steve would never consciously act in such a manner.”  He smiled as the scent of the tea hit his sensory receptors.  “Would you mind terribly making me-?”

“Do I look like a serving wench to you?” she interrupted with playful sarcasm, trying not to laugh as she heard him curse under his breath while she made her way back to the common room.  Natasha and Clint were engaging in small talk to avoid the subject of work and the like.  Just as she sat next to Natasha, wrapping an arm around her Clint’s phone rang.  He pulled it out and was surprised to see ‘Jealous Ex’ flashing on the caller ID.

“Bobbi, I can’t handle updates right now so-”  He was interrupted by a chuckle.  It was familiar but he was having difficulty placing it.

“Hope may be a thing with feathers but what happens when those feathers are plucked?  I’d be more than happy to show you.  Bring me Thor and you can have your precious Mockingbird back.”  The call ended and he received a picture soon after.  He dropped his shock and put a hand over his mouth, shaking from the sight of the disturbing image.  Before either could ask he tossed it to them and they peered at the screen.  Pepper’s eyes widened and Natasha began to curse violently in Russian.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” the CEO cursed and looked away, breathing heavily.  Natasha could only stare in disbelief and horror at the sight of a barely conscious Bobbi tied up to a chair and covered in bruises and blood stained clothing.


	17. Left in the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mention of elements from Thor 2. If you haven't seen it yet, get on that!

The ever-alert Sif paced protectively before Danielle’s dry erase board like a mother bear guarding her cubs as she waited for her to return, hopefully with Loki in her company.  Despite her feelings towards the future king there was no denying his insight would prove invaluable if their suspicions about the newest portion of the riddle were true; as such she was willing to tolerate his presence, at the very least for Danielle’s sake.  Neither she nor Danielle wanted to make any assumptions about its meaning but the blonde was very confident it was a reference to both Hel and Odin.  There was little reason to believe its meaning didn’t imply something life-threatening.

“Please hurry before Odin comes,” she muttered to herself with grit teeth, eyeing the doors anxiously.  She had been trying to hide the fruits of their labor from the eyes of any third party but she had no defense or lies prepared should anyone inquire as to the meaning of the new information.  The best she could come up with was that she was examining it to aid in strategizing.  Even that would require some level of understanding of what the riddle meant and with the information being so exclusive Tyr’s lack of presence would be suspect should the warrior Goddess make such a claim.  Not only would Loki’s insight benefit them in learning the meaning but his mastery of the art of deception would help keep the meaning beyond Odin’s ken.

When the doors swung open her breath was caught in her throat until she saw it Loki and Danielle.  “I never thought I would say this but I’m very happy to see you,” she said exhaling in relief, a hand on her heart as her pulse steadied.  Loki chuckled as he approached the mess of drawings and writing on the board.  “I believe what you meant to say is that you’re very happy to not see Odin.”  Sif scowled but said nothing, not wanting to give him the satisfaction one feels when told they’re correct.

“Focus you two,” Danielle scolded as she marched up to Loki’s side, casting threatening glares at both of them.  “Taunting and smacking on your own time.  Right now we have work to do.  Got it?  First person to instigate anything gets their ass kicked.  Person to keep it going gets their face broken.  Anyway…”  She pointed to a freshly written passage squeezed into the upper right corner.  “I need to erase some of the doodles on here to get more space…This is the latest lil’ rhyme the Tesseract was kind enough to share with me.”

He tilted his head to the side slightly as he read quietly to himself.  “‘In the shadows of gold a pretense blossoms.  Puppet on his string is the envious, the forgotten.  But strings will sever when use expires.  In the depths of regret the puppet mires.’  Obviously ‘the envious’ is a reference to Hel .  But puppet on a string?”  He turned to his fiancée.  “Please tell me I’m only being paranoid in thinking Odin and Hel are collaborating, because that’s what this seems to imply.”

“I would.  But I think I’d be lying.  ‘In the shadows of gold a pretense blossoms’.  Engagement as a cover to get me up here, but he didn’t seem to care either way when we announced it was still a thing regardless.  And I think the shadows of gold means something hidden here in Asgard…‘cause everything is made of gold.  So a pretense growing here, but hidden…I have no idea what else that could be referring to other than Odin’s agenda.  Whatever that truly is.”

“If Odin has reason to conspire against you it makes perfect sense for him to enlist in the aid of someone with whom he shares a common enemy,” Sif pointed out.  “But the mention of strings severing is cause for concern.  From what you’ve shared Hel’s judgment is very clouded by her anger and frustration, as alluded to in calling her ‘the envious, the forgotten’.  I believe the severing of strings, and being his puppet, means he will discard her when he no longer has use of her.”

 _‘So I'm no more than another stolen relic locked up here until you might have use of me?_ ’  Loki shivered as he pushed the memory of the confrontation out of his mind.  _Is Hel more than just afraid of being replaced by a new sibling?_ he wondered.  _Is she afraid that she is an expendable object and I…no longer care for her?  Or because she was born from a loveless relationship she too was unloved?_

“Hel’s fears and jealousy were totally understandable but her actions and expression of said feelings were pretty extreme.  Someone may have inspired her.”

Loki was quite surprised to hear Danielle’s commentary on what his daughter had done but she had explicitly told him that she never forgives unless there is reason to, and she has difficulty finding reasons because of the importance she places on context.  Though Hel’s actions are hard to justify her reasons for them made absolute sense in the context of the situation and her natural emotional responses.  “In other words Odin could very well be manipulating her by preying on her insecurities but he may have gone further than that.  He may have convinced Hel to talk me into going to Jotunnheim.  Perhaps he thought that it might put a rift between us.”

“But how would he know that I was worried and pissed off by the idea alone?”

Sif shifted her body weight uncomfortably and folded her arms over her chest.  “Heimdall.  He could be spying for Odin.”

Danielle’s eyes widened and she dropped her face into her palms.  After letting out a loud groan she grumbled, “I am so fucked.  We are so fucked.”

“We don’t know that for certain,” Loki replied reassuringly.  “If he is assisting Odin it may very well be a cover for where his loyalties truly lie.  I doubt he would support him in a conspiracy of such caliber.  I could easily determine that through a simple conversation.”  His fiancée nodded slowly.  “Yeah, you should get on that immediately.  But this is the ‘fun’ part.”  She glanced up and pointed at the last line.  “In the end she’ll come to regret her actions.  Why, I don’t know.  Maybe because she’s getting caught.  Maybe Odin makes some bullshit excuse to justify severing those strings.”  Her heightened sense of hearing detected approaching footsteps and she quickly erased the lines she wrote down.  After reviewing it for hours on end with Sif and the others she quickly memorized it.  Both Loki and Sif looked at her in collective confusion until they heard the familiar footsteps and the opening of the doors.

“Have you come to any conclusions yet?” Odin asked as he entered the room.  All three of them were sickened by his false amicable demeanor, two more so than the other.  Danielle gulped and tried to come up with a decent lie before turning to face him.  Luckily Loki, just as Sif had hoped, was able to do that for them.

“No, unfortunately.  She brought me here so I could give my input.”

Danielle spun on her heel.  “We couldn’t come up with anything conclusive.  Just speculation.”  _Not a lie.  Nothing was really confirmed until **after** I brought him here to see what he thinks of it courtesy of his dream nightmare whatchamafuckit._

“Which is why she never wrote is down,” Sif added.  “We were…’spitballing’?”  She glanced at Danielle who gave a single nod to confirm her correct use of the Midgardian colloquialism.

 _Poisoning my world with your primitive language…_   “I see,” he replied making no effort to hide his disappointment.  “Perhaps you need more information from the cube.  These passages it gives you do not seem to be in any sort of order.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty disjointed.”  _Also not a lie._   “Unfortunately I can’t force it to tell that stuff.  It talks when it wants to.  I really wanna punch the spirit of the Tesseract in the face…but it’s incorporeal.”

 _Thank you Odin for giving me even more reason to believe you wanted to bring Danielle here to gather information and then discard her when she, like Hel, becomes obsolete and a hindrance to your endeavors.  She would make a fine queen.  That was never a lie.  Though I doubt you want a human as Queen of Asgard, the same as Vanaheim._   “But it is aware of the war so I have reason to believe all will be revealed before the battles begin.”

Odin nodded.  “Very true.  That is the reason it began communicating when it did, after all.  Well don’t let me keep you from working.  But nightfall is nearing.  Exhaustion will only hinder your ability to think clearly and the cube does contact you in your dreams.”

 _Keep pushing the ‘squeeze out all it knows’ agenda why don’t ya._   “Understood.”

Stifling a yawn Sif murmured, “I think it’s time for me to retire for the night.  I trust you have the passage memorized?”

“After playing with it all day, oh yeah.  Definitely.”

“What was the passage?” the king asked with faux innocent curiosity.

 _Damn it!_   “I’m trying not to dwell too heavily on it because it could mean a variety of things and entertaining them all at once…It almost gave me a migraine earlier today.  I’d like something conclusive before sharing it in the event that I’m wrong.  Oh, and of course the importance of transparency you taught me about.  And avoiding migraines.  Always preferable.  Sleeping on it would help, especially if I do encounter the spirit in my dreams tonight.”

“Understandable.  I look forward to hearing about your findings.  I shall see all of you tomorrow.”  Even though his back was turned to them as he made his departure he almost radiated a visible aura of frustration and anxiousness. 

Once he was gone Danielle paled.  “I dunno how long I’ll be able to keep that up…This whole thing has me pretty worked up.  I think I should call it a night too.  Or at least try.  You coming?”  She glanced at Loki who raised an eyebrow at her.  “That is without a shred of doubt the stupidest question you’ve ever asked me.”

“…do I still have an extension on that essay?” she grinned.

“I stand corrected.”

“Is that a yes or no?”

Sif rolled her eyes at their playful banter.  “Should I encounter the other four I will tell them of our speculations.”

Danielle quickly shook her head.  “Not all of it.  Just about Odin.  Hel…Hel stays out of all this.”  She waved her hand over the board.  “I don’t want her getting demonized because of speculations, and what she did is for us to handle.  If she gets antagonized for that it might just anger her more.  She’s already hurting enough as is and I’d like to keep from adding to that if possible.”  The Goddess nodded.  “Yes, that is better left to the two of you.  If anyone should try and deter her from continuing this behavior it’s her parents.  And you should given the first chance to try at that.  Until tomorrow.”  She placed a fist over her heart and bowed her head but only in Danielle’s direction before she left.

“Well I don’t see her running to be president of your fanclub any time soon,” Danielle snorted in amusement.  “I hope she can let go of all that anger.  Carrying all that around is a hefty burden.”

“I did try to kill the person she loves.  And her.”

“Sigyn tried to permanently do away with me and I don’t hate her.”  She added in a low grumble, “Just a little jealous…”

“That’s because you killed Sigyn in the end.”

She waved a hand dismissively.  “Details.  And hopefully I get to permanently destroy her during Ragnarok.”

“You can’t fight,” he reminded firmly.

“Pfft.  It’s just _Sigyn_.”  She sighed softly as they made the short trek to their room.  “And I highly doubt she’s ended her anti-Dani crusade.”

“True, she never did hold a high rank in your legion of fans.”

“Who I’m so happy to be away from!  I did enjoy interacting with my fans for the brief time I entered the spotlight but damn, they can be like hyenas sometimes.  I dunno how my predecessors -socialites before me, not my dad- can handle it.  And as weird as it is getting attention up here, especially when I feel like I haven’t really done anything, no one is asking me for autographs.  A most welcome change.”  As soon as they reached their room she dropped onto the bed and stared up the ceiling, hands behind her head.

“Haven’t done anything?  You’ve done far more than Odin.  Asgard hasn’t forgotten all the changes you instigated the last time you were here.  And your return seems to have raised morale.”

“So I am to Ragnarok as Paxil is to low serotonin levels?  I guess I can live with that.  Though I wouldn’t mind a lil’ Paxil myself right now.”  She sat up, wrapped her arms around herself, folded her legs beneath her, and shook her head.  “I dunno how to describe it, but it’s kinda like when you feel as though you’re being watched.  I don’t feel that way, partly because I already know I kinda am being watched, but I’m starting to feel like I should always be looking over my shoulder.  Not paranoid, just…tense.  I always need to be alert.  I’m starting to jump at every little sound.  You and the boys aside I can count on one hand the people I trust.  Sif, the Warriors Three, and to a degree Tyr.  Though I think he’s just really eager to start smashing skulls, not ‘cause he’s looking out for me.”

Loki chuckled as he slowly paced by the bedside.  “I wouldn’t doubt that.  But you can take solace in the fact that once he chooses a side his loyalty will not falter.  He leads the Einherjar.  Not even death can strip them of camaraderie.  They wouldn’t listen to a leader who can’t show the same dedication to his soldiers as they are expected to show him and already do for each other.”

“Good to know.  Very good to know.  That doesn’t help Midgard though.”  She paused and looked up at him.  “This is…asking a lot but do you think, not only for the sake of getting two enemies out of the way as soon as possible, he could bring the fire giants and Nidhogg’s army here so also they don’t touch Midgard?  They must be close now.  And the mists aren’t far behind.  Maybe he can redirect those?” she suggested with a shrug.

He shook his head and replied critically, “Odin would never allow it.  He would rather use a ‘wait and see’ approach.  Because that worked so well when Malekith went after the Aether and almost killed my mother…”

She made an annoyed popping sound with her lips.  “He doesn’t care about Earth, in other words.”

“Doubtful.”

“Well fuck him!” she exclaimed.  “I’m not letting my home world get caught in the crossfire.  Ragnarok means ‘doom of the powers’, not ‘let’s obliterate the fuck out of everything because fuck you, that’s why’.  They’re our enemies, no one else’s.  Thor being down there won’t be enough to prevent serious damage.  And if the fire giants pass through they won’t just scorch the grounds.  The waters will boil, perhaps evaporate completely.  What does that mean for Jormungandr?”

Loki stop pacing and yet another disturbing thought came to him.  “…if Odin isn’t willing to take that into consideration you aren’t his only target.”

“Yeah…There’s a lot he’s done and hasn’t done that I’ve been thinking about.  Talk to Heimdall first and see what he can give you.  I have some questions of my own for him pending what you uncover.  Speaking of questions there’s something else in the Midgard accounts I’d completely forgotten about until I started spending more time with Sif.  According to what’s on Earth she’s Heimdall’s sister.  Is that true?”

He raised an eyebrow at her.  “You’re joki- You’re not joking.  Laufey was a woman, Sif and Heimdall are siblings…Please go on.  I’m in dire need of comic relief.”

She tapped her chin.  “Apparently Sif and Thor have a son named Ullr.  And he also has a daughter named Thruð.  And two more sons named Magni and Moði, one of which is gonna inherit Mjolnir.  I think one had a frost giant for a mother but don’t quote me on it.”

“Whoever penned that nonsense has a very wild imagination.  Though I doubt Sif would complain about the first part…”

“Was there every anything between them in the past to spark all of this?”

“Yes and no.  You know how sometimes children promise to marry their best friends?  He said he would marry her when he was king while they were very young.  After he said that she punched him so hard she had broken his jaw.  When her reputation as a formidable fighter began to grow he once again pursued her and she was very quick to reject him for fear that he was only expressing interest because of how strong she was.”

“And in the end he went for a scientist.  Wow.  So now that she’s lost all that she wants him?”

“That’s how it seems.  But it gets better,” he grinned.

Her jaw dropped.  “A new development?!  Ooh, tell me, tell me!” she squealed with wide, eager eyes.

He sat next to her.  “You never heard this from me.  You never heard this at all.”  He waited for her to offer confirmation which she did with a single nod.  In a hushed he elaborated, “There’s a rumor going around Valhalla that a certain war God may or may not have said he’s starting to see Sif as an equal on the battlefield.  Which in Tyr-speak must translate to some sort of attraction.  He would have no other reason to say something like that about a woman, of course.”

“Of course.  Gotta throw in that disclaimer.  So to recap…”  She started counting off on her fingers.  “Thor wants to fix things with Jane.  But Sif thinks in the end he’ll leave Jane for her.  And now Tyr is starting to get hot and bothered for Sif.  The love triangle is now officially a love square.  I love this family tree.  Always so much drama going on and I just get to sit back and watch it all unfold.”

“If memory serves you’re at the center of some as well.”

“Yeah, but not a love triangle…or square.  Or trapezoid for that matter.  That would be interesting.  How would that even work…?”  She bopped herself lightly on the head.  “I’m becoming such a gossip whore.  But back to the life-or-death stuff!  Current plan.  You talk to Heimdall and find out what you can.  After you do let me know immediately before relaying it to the other five.  If it’s what we hope to hear I’m talking to him.  And someone needs to ask Odin about moving things along.”

“I will speak to him.”

“He’ll know that it’s coming from me then.”

“Regardless of whom Heimdall is loyal to even he would want Asgard protected, and that will be much easier to accomplish if we can destroy two of our enemies instead of all four at a time.  Your emotional reasoning will hold no bearing over that decision.  What are you planning on asking him?”

“Kinda goes back to what you said about other targets.  If Heimdall is all-knowing, all-seeing, then why didn’t he clear up the confusion about who really dropped Hel and Jormungandr?  That Fenrir was harmless until treated like a feral beast?  That Sigyn killed the twins?  That you didn’t kill Baldr?  Either Odin knew and kept it under wraps or Heimdall didn’t even see that at all.  And I’m gonna take a wild guess that one person could obstruct his vision.”

“…Odin,” he muttered grimly.  “If that were so then also would have known what Sigyn had been planning all along.”

Danielle nodded.  “Yeah, exactly.  And he’s not a fan of humans, right?  He doesn’t want Thor with Jane.  I doubt he wants a human as queen of Asgard or you being with one.  I doubt he’s made allies with Vanaheim but they have a common objective it seems…And he really wanted me here.  Wedding or not.  Turns out there wasn’t supposed to be one anyway.  And if he and Hel are working together to break us up…There’s just too many things lining up.  But true or false.  He would do whatever it took to protect Asgard.”

“True.”

“And in his mind protecting Asgard means controlling where the crown goes.”

“True.”

“He forced you to marry Sigyn.  A Goddess.  And he knew about Thor’s feelings for Sif back in the day.  Also a Goddess.  Both of you ended up with humans.  What if that raven, which probably went to Thor, was to try and convince him to come back and fight here?  And in doing so not only get him away from Jane but get him closer to Sif?  And with Sigyn out of the picture either he’s gonna force you to marry someone else or you’re a target too.  Without a Goddess for a wife he won’t want you to take the throne.”

“And I wish him all the best in keep it from me.”  He dropped his forehead into his hand.  “It’s rather alarming how easily you can piece these things together.”

“I think it’s cause of how I grew up.  My world consisted of a product from someone else’s imagination.  I’d be trying to figure out what happens next in everything I read.  And I think all the different characters and worldviews I was exposed to has to do with how easily I can make those connections and read people.  I have examples to go off of, the literary archetypes of characters, character analysis…All of which I did for fun.  ‘Cause I’m a nerd.  Yeah, being a reclusive child definitely worked in my favor in the end.  But that’s a story for a rainy day, pun semi-intended.  A lot of new possibilities to consider but for now that’s stick to the first plan and go from there.  One thing at a time.”

“One thing at a time?  Who are you and what have you done with my Danielle?” he teased. 

She smirked.  “I’m holding her hostage.  You can have her back, but there’s a price.”

“What might that be?”

“Well, it involves no clothes.  Step one.”

“And step two is…?”

“One thing at a time,” she winked before roughly pulling him forward for an even rougher kiss.

* * *

 

**Danielle’s Dream**

When her eyes opened Danielle felt a harsh chill settle upon the room in layers.  She looked around and saw she was tied to a table by her wrists and ankles, the restrains too tight for her superhuman strength to break them.  They were snug enough to keep her in place but she could feel a light tingling sensation as the circulation became constricted.  The room was dim but not so dark that she couldn’t make out size, shape, or anything else present.  She was overcome with a powerful sense of dread when she saw various familiar sharp and pointed objects lining the walls and sitting upon a small table in the corner.  It was a replica of the Chitauri torture chamber.

“The symbolism couldn’t be any more appropriate.  Alone in your struggles, held captive by your fears.”  She turned her head to the side and saw the spirit of the Tesseract casually leaning against the wall.  “What was that you said about fear breeding courage?  Where’s that infamous bravado now?  Your do-or-die attitude?  Your confidence?  Can you protect yourself if the source of danger…is you?”

“The source of danger is Hel and Odin!” she snapped, tugging at her restraints.  The spirit laughed and approached her, resting its arms on the table and shaking its head.  “You silly girl.  Add some fuel to the fire why don’t you?  Your anxiety is what holds you back, you know.  You’re only making those restraints stronger by pulling at them.  Like a Chinese finger trap.”

“Yeah, I have a lot on my plate.  I’m under pressure.  But I can handle it.  I have allies.  I have intel.”

“And that’s enough to alleviate that pressure?” it asked dubiously.  She gasped loudly as her body began to feel heavy and an invisible force started pressing down against her.  “Doesn’t look like it to me.  You are completely alone in all of it.  Your pregnancy, as you have no role model.”

“I still have support from Loki, the twins, Frigga as the patron of motherhood...Sif and the others too,” she choked out.

“They can support you all they want but without knowing what to expect you become a liability.  No one knows what’s happening to your body.  You don’t even know what’s going on!” it laughed.  “That’s one task you have to balance.  Becoming physically weaker and weaker, dependant on others who can only do so much for you.  Can you balance that with all the expectations placed on you?  Loki needs a loving and devoted wife.  Vali and Narfi need a mother.  Asgard needs reassurance, answers, a beacon of hope.  Can you be all of those things?  Can you please everyone?  Are you good enough?  Or is it…too much pressure?”

The force pressing against her body pushed down harder and she cringed, trying not to bite through her tongue as she felt the bones in her feet, ankles, and lower legs begin to crack.  It snickered as it watched her struggle to fight the sharpshooting pains.  The cracks turned into fractures and though she dare not try to lift her head and look down she felt like the bones begin to jut out from under her flesh.  “It’s like tug-of-war.  Everyone wants a piece of you.”

Something pulled gently at her left arm, then her left leg, right leg, and finally right arm.  She gulped, knowing what was coming next.

“Do you have enough to offer?”

Her mind blanked only moments before she could see her limbs being ripped from her body.

* * *

**Loki and Danielle’s Room, An Hour or So Before Sunrise  
**

Loki had been rudely awoken by a back-handed slap in the face, no doubt the result of another one of Danielle’s nightmares.  She had never acted so aggressively in her sleep before as this was no mere tossing and turning.  She appeared to be fighting something and not only losing miserably but painfully.

He knew better than to forcibly wake her up to bring her out of and so he waited until it ended, watching her carefully from the divan as she struggled against some imaginary force.  After everything they had come to learn, to consider, and to plan he couldn’t help but start to feel as though it might be too much for her.  She was notorious for taking on more than she could handle due her inherent moral obligations of putting others before herself.  Instead of only having her family on Earth to worry about she had to be weary of Odin and Hel while acting as a strong and inspirational for all those depending on her.  Now it was more than just her friends and family but all of Asgard.

He had told her before they left that no one would expect her to be at the forefront of anything, only to work on the exclusive information locked within the Tesseract, but it was now apparent to him that he had been wrong.  Though she would protest and argue relentlessly he knew he had to bring that to her attention despite the cognitive dissonance it may invite.  She would go ballistic if accused of being incapable and he had little patience for what she saw as a challenge to conquer at all costs and he saw as recklessness.  A conversation of that nature, though not directly influenced by Hel or Odin, ran the risk of giving them exactly what they wanted- a strain on the two of them in the worst ways possible. 


	18. Last Stand, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know we've been jumping around from location to location a lot and jumping around the clock as well so here's a chronological recap for y'all to consult to keep things in order. Chapters not listed, only events and times-
> 
> 4:32- Emma agrees to inject herself with P.A.G.E.  
> 5:38- Avengers and co. return to the tower after the attack on Stark Industries  
> 5:45- Clint storms out of the S.H.I.E.L.D. base; Fury gives his orders to Hill and Coulson  
> 5:57- Dr. Selvig dies  
> 6:07- Tony leaves the tower for the base; Coulson tells Darcy she needs to come to base for 'training'  
> 6:22- Tony gets to Steve's hospital room and learns how to snap him out of his episodes of flashbacks and violent behavior  
> 6:25- Darcy arrives at base; Hill convinces Bobbi to leave to make sure Clint is okay and tells her to return to recreate the serum to help heal Steve afterward  
> 6:35- Steve and Tony hear a commotion outside in the wing  
> 6:41- Clint and Bobbi meet up  
> 6:57- Coulson says 'Oh shit' and abruptly hands up on Natasha  
> 7:24- Clint returns to the tower and they have yet to hear back from Coulson; Clint receives an image of a battered and kidnapped Bobbi, recognizing the voice on the line as the waitress from Starbucks
> 
> Oh yeah, and there's a little Russian in here too. It's supposed to rhyme. You'll see what I mean when we get to it. Also, DA users, I put up a poll asking about whether or not I should make an ask.fm for my OCs (it would be shared by all of them). I'm so back and forth on the idea so I figured I'd let my readers decide since you guys would be the ones using it.

**7:36 PM, Outskirts of Manhattan**

The picture sent to Clint’s phone was clear enough to make out the words on a cracked sign hanging on the wall in the background.  It was the name of a construction site that was since long since abandoned in Manhattan.  After a brief description of the owner of the voice Thor immediately pieced it all together as Amora’s doing.  Even her human name was a hint, as ‘Anna Moore’ when quickly pronounced turned out to be the word ‘enamor’.  It took Thor even less time to get there as she was radiating a magical aura for miles with the intent of getting his attention.  He knew he would not be able to confront Amora with an injured Bobbi within proximity so Natasha, unable to access any S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicles for the time being, had to drive out there.  Luckily she still had a few of her ‘toys’ on her to make weaving through the migraine that is New York traffic just a smidge less tedious.  She was also able to provide him with directions along the way. 

Upon arrival she waited outside while Thor, too enraged by the escalation of everything happening in regards to both his friends and family as well as Ragnarok, didn’t think twice about making a subtle entrance.  It took no effort for Mjolnir to break through the chains and locks around the entrance to the building, shattering the thick metal like fragile glass.  Natasha anxiously drummed her fingers on her steering wheel as she waited.  She had to put her phone on silent as Clint kept calling and texting for any updates she was able to provide but she couldn’t allow herself to become distracted.  Once Bobbi was safely in her custody she would inform the others.  Even if she did respond to Clint’s messages or take his calls he would continue to bombard her and remain a nervous wreck. 

“Amora!” Thor roared as he entered the dark building, the only source of light being the weak threads from the setting sun entering through the broken roof.  “Show yourself, coward!” 

He covered his eyes with his forearm as every light in the building turned on, powered by her magic, temporarily blinding him.  Her silver peals of laughter hit his ears and scowled menacingly as the green-clad woman came into view.  Bobbi was nowhere in sight. 

“Where is she?  Where is Mockingbird?!” he demanded, readying his grip to swing and throw Mjolnir in her direction.  Amora folded her arms over her chest and pretended to look hurt.  “But you said you wanted to see me,” she pouted then grinned wickedly.  “Here I am.” 

“As repulsive as ever.  This was low, even for you.” 

“Would you rather I go after your human lover?” she spat.  “I found this bait to less…problematic, sentimental if you will.  Of what concern is she to you?” 

“Plenty enough for me to come here with the intent of tearing you apart,” he snarled.  “Don’t make me ask a third time.  Where is she?!” 

Amora folded her arms over her chest.  “I’d like to think that having Loki for a brother would teach you how to recognize an illusion.”  She waved a hand towards a darkened corner and the hanging lights above it came to life.  Bobbi was there restrained like in the image but unharmed.  “See?  She’s just fine.  For now, that is.” 

“What have you come here for?  You know what cataclysm has befallen us.  Should you not be seeking a way to protect yourself, hiding behind the might axe of your moronic puppet?” 

“That’s what I’m here.”  She pointed a perfectly manicured and painted finger at him.  “I’m here for you.” 

He glanced at Bobbi and then back to Amora.  “You want to trade.  Mockingbird for myself.”  She nodded, an arm over her chest and the other pressing a finger against her chin.  “Precisely.  Should you refuse…Well, I believe you have already seen the consequences of making that decision.”  She snapped her fingers and Bobbi was replaced with an illusion of the battered image sent to Clint.  She smiled at Thor.  “An easy decision to make, no?” 

“Release her.  I agree to the trade.” 

She chuckled and sent a bolt of green light at Bobbi, cutting through her restraints without harming her.  She caught her breath and massaged her bruised wrists and ankles.  Slowly she rose to her feet and clumsily made her way to the exit but before she left Thor stopped her.  “Natasha is waiting for you outside to take you back to the tower,” he said quietly and she nodded, looking slightly confused but not wasting time to ask questions. 

When she saw Bobbi, Natasha unlocked the doors and called Clint to confirm she was had been returned and hadn’t been injured.  He thanked her and she rolled her eyes as she started the car.  “Don’t thank me, Clint.  I didn’t do it for you.”  After hanging up and speeding off to return to the tower she said monotone, “Don’t think this means there’s a second half a ‘best friends forever’ necklace in my glove compartment waiting for you.  That image Amora had sent to Clint’s phone resembled a situation I found myself in when I was barely pushing seven.  Pain like that doesn’t pay attention to age though.  I had to get you out of there.” 

“What’s this?  Natasha Romanova has a heart?” Bobbi snorted half-jokingly. 

“The necklace actually reads ‘best frenemies forever’.  I got it at Claire’s.” 

Inside the building Amora was smiling triumphantly.  “See?  Easy, no mess, everyone wins.” 

“Not quite.  You wanted to trade her for me.  And here I am.  You never said anything about keeping me, using me, or Gods know what else runs through the mind of a harlot like you.  I fail to see how that’s a victory for you.” 

Amora frowned.  “Hardly a counter argument.” 

“There was also no mention made of an easy submission.”  Thor swung Mjolnir around his wrist and threw it in her direction.  The impact was so powerful that it sent her flying to the other end of the building and pinned her to the wall.  Despite her situation she laughed again. 

“You think yourself such a noble hero, don’t you?  The son of the mighty Odin Allfather, a wise and powerful ruler.  It’s funny that, though he is the adopted one, Loki takes far more after your father than you.  Always keeping secrets…A wise and powerful ruler indeed.” 

He called back the hammer and she fell to her hands and knees, coughing as she tried to catch her breath.  “Don’t you dare speak ill of my father!” 

She continued laughing.  “You really should be careful about who you place your trust in.  The mighty Odin Allfather cares so greatly for Asgard, does he not?  And like any wise and powerful ruler he would go to any and every length necessary to protect his realm.  Even if it meant sacrificing the lives of the innocent.”  She steadily rose to her feet.  “He almost killed his own son in the interest of his people.  A son who had repented, reformed…sadly.  He’s no fun anymore.”  She sighed dejectedly and then shook it off.  “So tell me.  What guarantee is there that he wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice someone else?  Someone who isn’t family?” 

He pointed Mjolnir at her.  “Explain, Amora.  Why this slander?!” 

“Is it slander…if it’s true?  Unfortunately I must go now.  I merely wanted one last social visit before the real fun begins.  Then, Thor Odinson, you will be mine and mine alone; of that much I am certain.  And do give the girl my sincerest apologies if I caused any severe emotional distress.”  In a flash of green light she was gone leaving Thor there dumbfounded. 

“Was this meant to be a distraction?” he wondered aloud.  “And what treachery could she be speaking of?  Surely they are lies to turn me against my father.  But for what purpose?  What was she trying to tell me?  Or was she merely trying to amuse herself at the expense of my friends before the devastation reaches Earth?  I suppose in times such as these someone like her need not have a reason other than selfish desire.  But when did she arrive on Earth?  And why didn’t father send a raven to warn me?”  He gulped and shook away all the doubts and suspicions that were beginning to bubble to the surface. 

* * *

**7:49 PM, Avenger’s Tower**

“Christ, you’re alright,” Clint breathed as he embraced Bobbi.  She was surprised by the sudden display of public affection but returned the embrace regardless.  “Yes, you sap, I’m fine.  The worst that happened was throwing up before she took me.  Whatever you ordered, don’t you dare ever feed me that again or I’m going to vomit on you.”

“Deal.” 

Natasha just rolled her eyes.  _Clearly they still care about each other.  I wonder if they’ve thought about trying again?_   As she sat down she noticed Pepper’s absence and Clint told her she was consoling Jane while Thor was gone.  He was too nervous because of Bobbi and Bruce was without question the wrong person for the job.  Thor came back a few minutes later and decided it best that he and Pepper switch places.  He deliberately withheld Amora’s vague allusion to treachery, not wanting to raise any alarm in the event that she was lying which was highly likely.  If there was truth to her words he was confident that his companions would be able to react accordingly, be it on Earth or in Asgard. 

The strawberry blonde, who had showered and changed into a pair of Natasha’s lounge pants and t-shirt while waiting for her to return, lay down on the couch with her head in Natasha’s lap yawning softly. 

“Getting tired?” 

“Very.  And there’s no way I was going to stay in my work clothes for the rest of the day either.  But I wasn’t going to try sleeping until we heard back from S.H.I.E.L.D.  Not after the way Phil ended that last call.  Anything?”  She glanced up at Clint who shook his head as Bobbi instinctively made her way to the fridge .  “No.  And considering how long it’s been since we last spoke, not to mention, what they’re trying to do there I’m getting worried.” 

“Clint, do you have any ice cream I can commandeer?” 

“Why would I let you eat my ice cream?” he asked utterly confused, turning his back to Natasha and Pepper to stare at her in bewilderment as she rummaged through the fridge. 

“Because we like the same favorite flavor and you’re a nice person.  At least I like to think you are.  I was just held hostage as bait by an insane trollop; I think I deserve some ice cream.  Where the hell are the pickles…?” 

“She has a fair point there!”  Pepper looked up at Natasha and raised an eyebrow.  “Что они делают (What are they doing)?” she whispered.  The red head shrugged.  “Не имею ни малейшего представления (I haven’t the faintest idea).” 

“I can hear you two back there,” Clint piped up. 

“I said ‘Я тебя люблю’ (I love you),” Pepper lied in a cutesy voice, reaching up to pinch Natasha’s cheek. 

“And I said ‘Не могу жить без тебя’ (I can’t live without you),” Natasha added. 

“Uh huh.  Whatever you say…And Bobbi says I’m a sap,” he grumbled.  “Hey, that’s my sweet and sour pork!” 

“Hungry.  Don’t care.”

“…it’s Bruce’s.” 

“Then he can come and yell at me for eating it.  And I still won’t care, for the record.” 

* * *

**7 PM, S.H.I.E.L.D. Base, New York Chapter**

Roughly half an hour ago Steve and Tony heard a commotion somewhere in the hospital wing but Tony refused to leave Steve’s bedside should the likely puppeteer Emma Frost decide to play with Steve’s mind again.  Irrespective of who was responsible for scrambling his senses and memories Tony refused to go anywhere.  Had he gone out to see what happened he would have seen an unconscious Commander Hill on the floor, the one who was supposed to be manning the security cameras but took a quick break to warn Steve and Tony of what was going on despite the unanimous consensus that it was best they remain ignorant until everything was over.  He also would have seen Director Fury’s fists extended after having knocked her out before carrying her out and over to the conference room where she was restrained while he had a nice long chat with the World Security Council, taking every hall he knew to be unmanned at the time so as not to be seen.  To avoid suspicion all agents stayed at their intended posts until it was time to take action.  Fury didn’t know Hill was in the wing but he had suspected it to be her likely location seeing as she was the one who made it very clear that she questioned his decision and needed to watch her carefully so she would not disobey him. 

When the other agents noticed a lack of updates on Fury’s location courtesy of Hill watching the cameras they became anxious.  At first they suspected she went to warn Steve and Tony and thought she would have left them in the dark about her intentions as it was not part of the plan.  But the lack of updates went from minutes to hours, far too alarming to be left uninvestigated.  When the security room was examined she was gone.  This was brought to Coulson’s attention while he was on the phone with Natasha and the others, prompting an abrupt ‘Oh shit’ and ending the call.  With Hill out of the picture, location unknown, they would need to improvise and remain even more vigilant which by that point seemed impossible.  

Though there was no confirmation it was safe to surmise that Fury was on the line with the World Security Council.  Both he and the council would come to an agreement in a matter of seconds about what was to be done with the ‘former Avenger’, now stripped of his title in their eyes.  If Hill’s absence was Fury’s doing, the only plausible explanation at the moment, her vocalization of disagreement could be easily be interpreted as insubordination and ‘being compromised’ putting her in the same position. 

Word slowly made its way around the base in accordance to both hierarchy and respective roles in the plan.  Though Hill’s actions had interrupted a great deal of their next move the sharing of information helped shape a new step to take.  Unfortunately for Coulson, who was now the sole head of what he called ‘mutiny’, not all would follow procedures but he was already quite aware of this.  Despite potential hindrances and elevation of severity this could cause, he hoped that it would serve as a precursor or training drill of sorts for those who had yet to enter the field or rise in rank in their respective departments.  

He knew it was incredibly risky to invest so much faith in the less experienced members of S.H.I.E.L.D. but there was a reason he had placed particular greenhorns with the seasoned veterans.  Just as he had always clung to the idea of superheroes helping save the world he knew full well that seemingly ordinary people held just as much potential to cultivate and turn them into heroes in their own right.  He was the one who stood by Clint’s decision to let Natasha live and join S.H.I.E.L.D., the ultimate testament to his ability to judge character.  He was confident that he hadn’t lost his touch and saw something in a new recruit he himself selected, a certain spark waiting to ignite.  This would be her time to not only prove him right but prove her capability to both the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. but more importantly herself. 

About twenty minutes after Hill’s disappearance was noticed word had reached Melinda May mid-training session with Darcy.  

“Back to the locker room,” Melinda ordered nodding towards the door.  “You’re taking five.” 

“What now?”  Darcy wiped the sweat off of her forehead and pulled out her ponytail.  Melinda said nothing and left the room, which the new agent interpreted as a sign to follow her.  Darcy noticed that the floor was very quiet and but felt very tense, like the calm before the storm.  When they were in the locker room the seasoned agent locked the door. 

“Change and grab your new gear.” 

“New gear?”  Darcy opened her locker and smiled.  “Awesome.  I wonder what this-” 

“Don’t touch it,” she ordered sternly.  “Change, grab your bag, and follow me.  The plan has changed.  Coulson is in a panic because no one can find Commander Hill.” 

“So what are we doing?” 

“You’re not doing anything except following me unless the situation requires for you to act otherwise, understand?” 

“…did Scary Wife- I mean Agent Romanov, did she train your back in your days as a noob?  Because you remind me of her and it’s a little creepy.  Where am I following you to?”  She buttoned up her cardigan, put on her newsboy hat, and threw her bag over her shoulder. 

“The medical wing.  As far as everyone else is concerned you sustained a minor injury while training and I’m taking you there for treatment.  Play the part.”  Melinda briskly exited before Darcy could offer any form of confirmation or agreement.  She followed behind pretending that she had a sprain in her wrist while trying to figure out the real reason Melinda would go to the medical wing, using her as a cover.  The only people of interest were Tony and Steve who still, as far as the agents knew, were not aware of what was going on outside that hospital room and the agents didn’t know that Tony had to calm Steve down from two more episodes. 

On the opposite side of the building a determined Nick Fury stormed out of the meeting room and locked it tightly, en route to the medical wing.  Both out of sight and out of mind Coulson waited until he was gone and deactivated the security on the lock before breaking it.  Inside the screens were all static and Hill was tied to the chair, struggling to break the restraints with what little strength she had.  Her right eye was black and swollen and her nose was clearly broken. 

“Jesus Christ,” he breathed as he undid the restraints.  “Maria, what the hell happened?” 

“I…I went to go tell them,” she managed as she settled her hands in her lap, deep red lines encircling her wrists from where the restraints were.  “I know we didn’t discuss that but Fury’s lost his fucking mind.” 

“I know, we know.  We’re trying to figure something out.  Were you conscious while he was talking with the council?”  He nodded towards the large screens and she nodded slowly.  “Yeah, barely.  You already know what they advised and you already know what he’ll do.  Go stop him.  Leave me here for now and go stop him.” 

“The Cavalry is already on its way down there,” he said reassuringly. 

“The cavalry or _The_ Cavalry?” 

“This is the director we’re talking about.  Who else would I tell to go down there other than Natasha’s former trainee?” 

“By herself?” 

“No.  Agent Lewis is with her.”

“What?  Coulson, you can’t put the new kid in something like that.  Not that Agent May necessarily needs backup but Darcy, she’s certainly not ready to be backup.  She didn’t even log four hours of training.”

“No, but her gear is finished.  She has that.” 

“And when did you give her a tutorial?” 

“I didn’t.  I’m not expecting her to figure any of it out.  I just needed an excuse to get May down there.  An agent was able to tap one of the satellites and saw Fury had ended transmission.  I waited nearby outside to come in after he left to see if you were here.  Everyone knows he’s on the move, everyone knows May is heading down there, and everyone knows where I am.” 

“Has Agent Morse come back yet?” 

“No.  And right now I think this is the last place she should be, especially if you want her to do any testing on Steve.  I think Tony’s lab might be a safer bet for that.  Much more controlled environment and a familiar one.  Less stress for both the patient and the scientist.” 

“What did you tell May to do?” 

He paused.  “The same thing the council told Fury to do.  Neutralize the threat.  Looks like this means a promotion is in your near future,” he said with his signature awkward smile reserved for tense situations.  Hill groaned at his humor but had to fight a small smile; ‘Director Hill’ had a nice ring to it. 

“Just your eye and nose?” 

“Yeah.  But my legs feel like jelly.  Don’t wait up for me.  I’ll catch up eventually, just get to Fury as soon as you can.”  He nodded and pulled out his pistol.  “You’ll need this.” 

“What about you?” she asked suspiciously as she holstered the weapon. 

“I have another weapon, don’t worry.” 

“Alright, good, then go.” 

He nodded and got on his communicator.  While with the engineers who had worked on Darcy's new equiptment they had also played with the communicators some to try and keep Fury off the channel they were using.  “This is Coulson.  I found Hill.  Does anyone have a lock on Fury’s position?” 

“Sir, he just stopped by Agent Morse’s office and asked about her absence, then quickly left.  He was heading in the direction of the medical wing.” 

“In in the medical wing now waiting to receive Agent Lewis.  Currently in the empty hospital room.  I have a visual.  He’s going to the intensive care wing.” 

“Has anyone seen Agent May and Agent Lewis?” he demanded. 

“I saw them coming from the other side of the building, sir.  If they continue on then Agent May is-” 

“Agent May is able to speak for herself, thank you,” Melinda interrupted.  “And yes, if we keep this route we’ll cut him off before he reaches the room.” 

“Engage only when necessary.  Don’t shoot on sight.  I’m on my way.” 

Every agent they passed began mentally preparing themselves should they need to go in and assist.  Darcy played her injury very convincingly which slightly impressed Melinda considering how new such circumstances were to her, though she would never admit it.  It was roughly twenty after when they reached the ICU and heard the sound of heavy boots coming from the right.  Melinda turned and walked in that very direction and Darcy stopped for a moment, realizing that she wasn’t just a ticket to where Fury was going to be.  She was bait to get his attention.  She gulped heavily and quickly caught up to Melinda.  The room ‘waiting’ for Darcy was at the very end of the long hall and Fury was halfway between it and them. 

_Yeah, definitely bait.  If she just wanted me to play injured we would’ve gone the other way around, get to the room first, and she’d run into Fury on her way out.  I demand a nice long paid holiday for this.  Some fucking first day._   Darcy’s hands started to get clammy and she wasn’t sure where to look.  She wanted to keep her eyes on Fury but that would be suspicious.  Avoiding his presence altogether would be equally so.  She kept her eyes on Melinda’s back and waited for any indication for what she should do next.  _If Fury really thinks I’m injured then maybe I’m not bait.  Are they…throwing me into the field?!  Exploding buildings and now this?!...I should’ve taken that internship with the city council.  Or gone to grad school.  In Canada._

“Agent May, Agent Lewis.”  Melinda halted abruptly and Darcy almost walked into her.  Fury folded his hands behind his back and eyed the younger one.  “Aren’t you supposed to be training right now?”

“I sprained my wrist,” she replied, suppressing a stutter and maintaining a casual pace.  If she spoke too quickly Darcy was certain she would arouse more suspicion than she probably had already. 

“And I’m escorting her so she doesn’t get lost.” 

_Is that supposed to be out of the goodness of her heart or an insult?  I’ve only gotten lost here three times.  In the same day._   “It’s already happened multiple times so I think it’s safe to say I’m a creature of habit.”

“You seen to be handling the pain quite well,” he replied narrowing his eye at her.  She rolled her shoulders casually.  “All part of the training, right?” 

* * *

**Avenger’s Tower, 8:28 PM  
**

“Fuck.  I’m done.  I’m done waiting.  If the base is so volatile and messy right now who’s to say we’ll be getting that call?  Even if Emma Frost isn’t behind whatever happened to Steve she still needs to be taken out of the picture.  Permanently.  Feel free to accompany me but I have no objection to going alone.”  Natasha slammed down her empty coffee mug on the kitchen counter, teeth grit.  She spun around to face the others.  “Any volunteers?” 

“Nat, as much as I would love to go and blast her brains into oblivion we can’t leave Pepper, Jane, and Bobbi here alone,” Clint reminded, lazily sprawled out on the couch.  Pepper had succumbed to her fatigue, Thor was still with Jane, Bruce was tinkering in the lab to keep his mind off of things, and Bobbi was sitting across from Clint eating s’mores filled with chocolate, ketchup, and sprinkled with steak seasoning. 

“The end of the world really is upon us.  I agree with Natasha,” she said between bites.  “I doubt Bruce would leave until Darcy comes back and Thor is…Thor.  Very protective of Jane, despite the awkward and strained relationship they’ve had.”  She cast a quick glance at Clint.  “Go.  Both of you.  Initiate Operation: Budapest 2.0.” 

“Attention everyone,” J.A.R.V.I.S. interrupted.  Everyone in the tower stopped what they were doing save for Bobbi who continued eating.  “Tony, Steve, Darcy, and an unidentified S.H.I.E.L.D. agent have returned and are making their way to the common area now.  Just thought you might want to know.” 

“Appreciate it,” Clint replied to the AI as familiar footsteps approached.  They heard doors at the end of the hall open and Pepper, who yawned softly and rubbed one of her eyes with the heel of her fist rejoined them.  Surprisingly Thor and Jane did as well; much to everyone’s shock the young scientist no longer showed signs of emotional distress.  If anything she looked more out for blood than Natasha.  Bruce took the elevator up and arrived just as Steve and Tony reached the top of the stairs, both looking very grim. 

“Before anyone asks anything let me say this,” Tony began.  “Frost is a dead woman.  If anyone tries to stop me from storming over there right now I’ll blow your fucking face off.” 

“Despite having just left a very…startling and upsetting situation I’m going with.  I want to hear from the woman herself what they did to me and what they plan on doing next,” Steve added. 

Natasha sighed in relief and Pepper smiled brightly.  She was glad to see her distress and anger slowly begin to alleviate.  “Great minds think alike.  I was just planning on going myself.  Steve, are you sure you’re up to going?” the redhead asked with a hint of concern.  “You just left a medical facility.  Somehow.” 

“Believe me Natasha, I’m able to fight.  More able than I’ve ever felt before.” 

“Where’s Darcy and the unidentified agent J.A.R.V.I.S. mentioned?” Bruce asked nervously.  Tony bit his lip and looked back down the stairs.  “They’re on their way.  Slowly.  Remember, no questions.  Not yet.” 

“Understood.  We’ve all had a rather exciting day.  I was kidnapped by an Asgardian whore while you were gone.” 

“If you want to get there discretely I think I know of a way,” Jane spoke up.  Her voice was a little hoarse.  “You can easily obtain blueprints or some kind of layout of the building by hacking.  And if that teleporter of yours, assuming it’s still functional, can take you to another dimension I think it’s safe to say it’ll take you to the other side of the city.” 

“That’s one way to avoid traffic,” Clint joked as he sat up.  “So…are we all in?” 

“We still need someone to guard the tower,” Thor reminded. 

“I can do that.  I like to think I know you well enough by now Agent Romanov to surmise you would take this course of action,” a voice only the agents, Tony, Steve, and Darcy would recognize replied as the new recruit and the owner of said voice reached the top of the staircase and entered the room.  Darcy looked unbelievably shaken to the point where she was disengaged from reality.  She looked disoriented and needed Melinda’s help to walk steadily.  Her clothes were covered in blood and she was carrying both her shoulder bag and a holstered pistol on her person.  Her eyes were clouded over and her expression was empty.  “You were my sparring partner for quite some time, after all.  But first we need to talk.  Updates all around.” 

“Holy shit,” Bobbi breathed.  “ **What** happened at base?” 

Darcy shook her head.  “I can’t…I can’t say…Because if I do, that makes it real.” 

“She’s still in shock.  I think we all are,” Steve explained biting his lip.  “Darcy, you should go get cleaned up.”  She nodded slowly.  “Yeah, probably,” she mumbled with a shiver.” 

“I’ll take care of her,” Jane offered and took Darcy by the hand, her arm limp and walked her down to Thor’s room where she could use the shower and give her a spare change of clothes.  “I’m coming with,” Pepper added and followed behind.  “I’ll take care of those stains.” 

After they were out of earshot Melinda folded her arms over her chest and waited for a barrage of questions but no one knew where to start until Bruce, breathing heavily doing his best to restrain himself demanded, “Tell me that’s not her blood.” 

“I can assure you Dr. Banner that Agent Lewis sustained no injuries whatsoever save for muscle tension and general soreness from our training session.  I would also like to remind you that your presence is a safety risk to those present.  I can also assure you that what I am about to relay may be triggering for you.  It’s fairly obvious that the sight of Agent Lewis’ fragile state alone has already begun to take a toll on you.  That said I have no intention of withholding the truth but I do have every intention of taking action should you-” 

“Melinda, knock it off,” Natasha warned.  “You don’t know his limits.  He’s fine.  We’re fine.  Keep stalling and you won’t be.  Now tell us what the fuck happened.” 

“Where would you like me to start?” 

“The beginning would be nice,” Clint replied briskly. 

“No.  Before that I must know…”  Thor paused.  “Whose blood is that?  Why is it on her clothing?  And is it on her hands as well?”


	19. Occupied Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relatively speaking this is a rather boring chapter. It might feel like filler but it's meant to be a 'turning point' I guess? But it's very conversation-dependent.
> 
> SPOILERS FOR BOOK 3 IN THE BEGINNING OF THE CHAPTER.
> 
> SPOILERS FOR THOR 2. STOP MAKING ME INCLUDE THAT DISCLAIMER AND GO SEE THE DAMN MOVIE ALREADY.

“And it didn’t end after getting ripped apart. I was reminded of something I never wanted to be reminded of ever again. First I want the fire giants to come here as quickly as can be and now…” Danielle dropped her face into her shaking palms and took a few deep breaths.

After her nightmare ended another began and lasted for the duration of her rest. Loki had been trying his best to stay awake after she accidentally smacked him in the face during her restless slumber in the event that she too might awaken, but he had fallen asleep shortly before she woke up. As much as she needed the comfort she was practically paralyzed by an almost forgotten fear, one which she had actively avoided until it became second nature, that the second nightmare reminded her of. After he awoke, having great difficulty staying asleep he saw her sitting up in bed shaking, breaking into a cold sweat.

“Being held prisoner by the Chitauri, that wasn’t the first time I was kidnapped. Probably why it didn’t faze me as much as it should’ve. Then again I did have Sigyn to bother, and that’s always a lovely pick-me-up…” She looked up at him, sitting and facing her, and dropped her hands into her lap, clutching the bedding tightly with shaking fists. “Ya know how when kids are really young they think their parents can do anything? Like they’re invincible?”

“I vaguely remember the feeling myself but I know of it, yes.”

“I was the same. But my parents **are** superheroes. I thought they could do anything, that they were unstoppable, and I was always safe. I, like them, was untouchable, because I had them. I just turned one so I didn’t have a strong grasp on life-or-death situations, especially with my family coming out of them unscathed for the most part. I didn’t even realize how dangerous the situation was because they were there. In my young mind that implied automatic protection from anything and everything. I didn’t see much because they got me outta there fast. But I saw fire. Lots and lots of fire. And I saw, for the first time, that my parents aren’t invincible because they were harmed by it. And if they could be, being superheroes, my stupid little self equated fire with ultimate death and doom and destruction. I guess I shouldn’t say that. I’m an explosion-holic. That fireplace over there, not a problem. But huge fires, fires that can’t be contained, that I don’t have or can’t have any control over freak me out. I wasn't just freaked out by the fires in the first nightmares because of what it stood for, but it also symbolized something else to me. I know I can’t fight and won’t be up close and personal with Sutr and his merry band of misfits but just knowing that it’s here, it’s gonna be here where I am, the potential for a massive inferno…” She looked down at her hands. “I’m being held prisoner here, Odin’s trying to kill me, Hel wants me dead or at the very least us to break up, and this stupid childhood phobia kicks in.” She dropped her face back into her palms and groaned loudly. “Not safe here, not safe on Midgard, no other options…I feel trapped.”

 _Perhaps my fatigue had bested me when I thought bringing that to her attention would create an argument. She knows it as well as I. But what can we do about it? So long as Odin is here, so long as he exists, nothing can be done. Maybe it’s time for another conspiracy of sorts to weave its way into Asgard…_ “You are,” he replied more bluntly than intended.

“Helpful.”

“One of the rare moments in which I’m completely honest and I’m chided for it. But I think I might know a way around this.”

“The only thing I can think of is to fight fire with- I am **NOT** finishing that sentence. Ya know what I mean though. Turn the tables by using his own game against him and finding a way to pull Hel out of it.” She rolled her shoulders looking uncharacteristically defeated. “All I’ve got.”

He let out a long exhale, making no effort to hide his disappointment. “And here I was hoping I could suggest that to ease your anxiety. But no, you already knew. Make me feel useless why don’t you…” He pretended to look crestfallen.

She fought a small smile. “Stop trying to make me feel better. Everything’s shitty and I wanna mope. You’re making that very difficult.”

“It would seem I’m fulfilling the responsibilities of my job rather adeptly then.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re a wonderful fiancé, whatever. Get over yourself.” She grabbed a pillow and lightly hit him with it.

“And now I’m being criticized for being a ‘wonderful fiancé’. I can’t do anything right, can I?” He rolled his eyes playfully.

“Nope. That’s why you need me.”

“Sounds as though someone’s tension is beginning to alleviate,” he remarked and put a hand over her quivering ones, which were now beginning to settle down.

“I guess…Being reminded of that though…I hate flashbacks. I don’t remember the last time that was even problematic, that fear. Maybe this is initial shock from being reminded. Stupid Tesseract is messing with my head and digging into my crappy memories. They’re suppressed for a reason, thank you very much.” She paused and gave a single nod. “Anyway, we let Odin think he’s got the upper hand. Let him think he’s getting his way.”

“And to prevent the success from being compromised the fewer involved, the better.”

“You and me against the rest of Asgard. Sounds familiar. But we still have to figure out to do with Hel. And you need to see where Heimdall’s loyalty lies. I think those should be top priority.”

“Perhaps you should be the one to do that.”

“…I’m not a sentient, organic polygraph. Why me?”

“I would have no reason to see him unless it was on your behalf. Should his loyalties lie elsewhere I expose our suspicions which puts you in a further compromising situation.”

“Didn’t think of that. OK, figure out something else then because I need you in there to see if he’s lying. So what about Hel?”

“That will have to wait. If Odin is manipulating her and Heimdall is on his side-”

“We shouldn’t act until we’ve got a better grasp on who’s on the enemy roster. OK, then we’re back to square one.” She lay back down, arms outstretched on either side. “Plotting against the rest of the universe is hard. You made it look so easy…What? Don’t gimme that look, it was a compliment!”

“Ignoring that. We can’t fight fire with fire _and_ let Odin think he has the upper hand at the same time.”

“Why not?”

“Think of it in terms of a path of least resistance, if you will.”

“On our part.” She motioned back and forth between the two of them. “So we do **what** exactly? Nothing?”

He grinned. “Precisely.”

She furrowed her brow and stared at the ceiling as their exchange tumbled around in her head. “If we don’t do anything then he _does_ have the-” Her eyes lit up and she slowly sat back up. “That’s totally brilliant. No one would ever see it coming.”

“Exactly. He’ll be doing the work for us.”

“I like being able to shirk responsibility onto him. Makes me feel accomplished. Because I hate him. Implement immediately then? Or rather, as soon as the opportunity presents itself?”

“We might need a little assistance first,” he replied. “If the twins-”

“That’s even more brilliant. Yes, definitely let them in on it. But only them?”

“Only them.”

“OK. Whoa. This is gonna mess with everyone’s head. It’s gonna be awesome! It’ll suck, but it’s gonna be so awesome. I’m shaking again. But in a good way!”

“There are some facets we should fully flesh out first tho-”

“Can you imagine the look on peoples’ faces when it happens? Holy whoa. This is, this is…overwhelming.” She drawled the word out, eyes wide. “But in a good way! I’m so excited!” She squeaked.

He bit his lip in effort to bite his tongue. _She should not be getting so excited over such a prospect._ “I can see that. Before we can-”

“Well Heimdall might know if he is on Odin’s side and he’s spying **right** now and maybe just maybe Frigga could tell but WHOA. This is gonna make peoples’ heads explode! I mean, can you imagine-?”

“Not if you keep talking over me. Oh, right, you’re not paying attention to anything right now,” he murmured to himself as Danielle kept rambling away about how excited she was, so much so that she didn’t notice the simple spell he cast on her. After clearing his throat he continued. “As I was saying.” He glanced over at her, waiting for the realization. Her lips were still forming words but no sound came out. Narrowing her eyes in confusion she pressed a hand to her throat. Her fingertips felt warm and upon inspecting them she noticed a fading green glow, like rapidly evaporating water. She glared back at him and mouthed out a colorful collection of profanity.

“That’s no way for a future queen to talk,” he smirked and she punched him in the arm. He clicked his tongue disapprovingly at her. “You can’t say I never warned you.”

‘NO SHIT!’ she mouthed out breathing heavily. ‘I CAN’T SAY ANYTHING!’

“My presence does tend to render you speechless.”

‘…I WILL SKIN YOU ALIVE!’

“Love you too, darling. Now, to return to the matter at hand.”

* * *

**The Bifrost**

“Lady Danielle,” the gatekeeper greeted with a respectful nod of his head. “What brings you here? You were very explicit in not wanting to know about your family.”

“Yeah, I know.” She walked aimlessly around his platform. “It’s not about my family. Kinda. I was wondering…how’s Uncle Clint doing? With the recent breakup and what not?”

Heimdall turned his gaze to the portal. “He and his former lover are on very amicable terms right now.”

“Seriously? That’s odd. He was pretty upset about the whole thing, what with having to pick between her and his best friend. Yeah, he was in love with Aunt Natasha at one point but something like that…Huh. Interesting.” She stopped and folded her arms over her chest. “Ya know, I never took her for the jealous type. And I’m pretty good at reading people. Speaking of blonde and jealous individuals there’s someone else I need to know about.”

Heimdall suppressed a chuckle. “A very interesting segue. About whom are you curious?”

She bit her lip. _I always feel so dirty saying this name…_ “Sigyn.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Oh? I never thought I would hear that name pass your lips again.”

“Yeah, fuck her. Anyway I need you to think back about four hundred Earth years. Why didn’t you destroy her goodie-goodie image? Killing the twins and all that nonsense? Oh, and Angrboda for that matter. That she was the one who dropped Hel and Jormungandr, and how she lied about Fenrir being a total savage since birth? He didn’t become that way until he was treated that way. It was defense, survival. And the Baldr situation? How come you didn’t say anything?”

He hesitated, reluctant to respond. “I…I did not know,” he admitted uncomfortably. “I did not see Sigyn kill Vali and Narfi. I saw Loki kill Baldr. I saw Odin drop Lady Hel and the serpent for the sake of protecting the realms.”

 _Odin said he thought it was a miscommunication, but he deliberately had Heimdall see otherwise?_ Her eyes widened. “What? You’ve gotta be kidding me. How in the frick could that happen? Aren’t you kinda sorta omniscient, omnipresent?”

“In a way. But my vision was obstructed. And there is…” He paused again. “What I am about to say does not leave this gate.”

“Definitely. I’d be screwed if certain parties knew I was snooping around…”

He swallowed nervously. “Only Odin could interfere.”

“That’s what I thought…” She tapped her fingers along her arm and cocked her head to the side. “Do you have any idea why?”

“It is no secret that the Allfather has a strong disdain for the human race, though he tries to be subtle in expressing the sentiment. I have wondered why as well…And I believe it may have to do with Thor and Loki’s choice in a significant other.”

“He…wanted Sigyn to be Loki’s wife? Her specifically?” Heimdall shook his head. “No. I believe that he didn’t want a human to be his wife, nor Thor’s. It’s the only explanation for the forced marriages they both had to enter.”

“…he didn’t want a human to be queen of Asgard. He must’ve learned from the Norns about me and Jane a long time ago.” She tapped her fingers along her arm again and continued wandering as she thought aloud. “That means he knew what Sigyn was doing but let it slide. Maybe…he helped. He really was in the Odinsleep way back then, right? Sigyn couldn’tve caused that when she had Loki’s magic. There’s no way. Was he…faking it maybe?”

“I saw him enter it naturally, just as he always has, when it happened during Loki’s time on Midgard.”

“Just ‘cause you saw that doesn’t mean it happened that way though, as history has shown. Then why would he bring me here and put together that engagement crap if he’s so damn anthropocentric?”

“Perhaps it was for the very reason I stand here as gatekeeper.”

 _Suspicion confirmed._ “He wants to keep an eye on me. Keep me under his thumb. You didn’t see Hel manipulate Loki into entering Jotunnheim either, did you?”

“No. I merely noticed his lack of presence. I’m sure you are aware that he can conceal himself and others from me.”

“Hm…He had no reason to hide himself in Jotunnheim and yet you couldn’t see he was there after he talked to Hel. And Hel is pretty adamant on getting rid of me. Doesn’t want someone taking her father away from her…Are she and Odin working together?” she asked quietly. _  
_

He rolled his shoulders. “If they are I have not seen it. But they share a ‘common enemy’ for loosely related reasons, if he does intend to do away with you.”

“One of his ravens is missing. I noticed during that announcement he gave which, for the record, was lacking in substance. But I think you already knew that! Did it go to Earth? And was it intended for Thor?”

“It did and it was.”

“What happened to it? And do you by chance know what it said?”

“It died. As for the message…He wants Thor to come back and protect Asgard.”

“Yeah, I figured he didn’t really give a shit or even half a shit about Midgard being safe. But then that means he doesn’t just want Thor here. He wants him away from Jane. And since I’m the cube’s mouthpiece it’s the perfect excuse for staging that engagement to get me up here. Use me to get the information out of it and then…discard what he no longer needs.”

“You must be on your guard at all times from now on.”

“Planning on it. The cube told me some pretty screwy stuff recently that I’m ninety-nine percent certain is about Hel and Odin. That’s what got me thinking about all this. So how did the raven die? Doesn’t he use them as his ‘eyes and ears’ on other realms? Something else would have had to interfere with that.”

“He is not the only one keeping secrets. I do not trust the Allfather to lead Asgard anymore than I would have trusted Loki decades ago. That has since changed, of course. Vanaheim has found an ally in one of our enemies and she found both the bird and the message and kept it from Thor. I said nothing to the Allfather because Thor belongs on Midgard right now. It needs his protection and I, unlike his father, respect the fact that he has personal matters to attend to as well.”

“Personal matters Odin takes great issue with. Having a human lover. This is starting to sound like…” She stopped meandering and began counting on her fingers. “Odin doesn’t care what happens to me or Jane. Hel has tried to come between me and Loki, and Odin would eagerly jump all over that opportunity to get me out of the picture. But it failed. Regardless I’m still in a place where he has total control so he can try to come between us. He must think it’ll take a lot of effort if that’s the case, having to bring me here and spy and all that shit. And he doesn’t want a human on the throne. It’s really starting to sound like…” She rubbed her chin and began pacing back and forth.

“Make Sigyn look even better while also making Loki look even worse…I mean, she went out of her way to look so saintly, staying with him and what not. And Odin supported her. He arranged the damn thing.” Her voice started to wander off. “Isn’t it a little convenient that Sigyn first showed up on Earth when she did? To get back at my dad? As in when I was a kid? Sigyn was pissed at Loki and she knew where he would be because of her involvement in his temporary banishment but me being there too…It was inevitable Loki and I would meet but what if Odin already knew that? And Sigyn was in on it the whole time to try and keep things from progressing between me and him?”

“How do you figure that?”

“The cube was on Earth until S.H.I.E.L.D. dug it up and then Thor brought it back here. That was when, if we had to put a calendar date on it, all of this began. Fate goes bye-bye, Sigyn dies, etc. But if Odin really wanted to be sure no human would bear a royal title here he could’ve consulted the Norns.” She turned to him. “They could’ve told him about me and Jane, and to a degree Loki what with him not biologically being a God, right? So he would’ve known that up until a certain point, that point being when me and the cube bonded, that I would enter the picture and interfere with that marriage. He wouldn’t be able to see beyond that so he wouldn’t know how things would end with Thor and Jane. But it’s been made pretty clear that, well, I interrupted that trial for fuck’s sake. Obviously I’m somewhat attached to Loki to put it lightly.”

“Are you suggesting that Odin had been planning on doing away with you before you were even born? That he knew you and Jane would enter the lives of his sons and he has been actively working to keep you out after Fate ceased by using the preordained efforts of Sigyn in his favor?”

“Something like that, yeah. But what if I’m not his only target? Or Jane for that matter? Like I said, he clearly feels pretty threatened by me if he thinks he needs to watch over me in person. Or, me and Loki. Thor and Sif are still married so he might think there’s hope, which is why he tried to bring him back here. But Loki is, thanks to yours truly, a ‘lost cause’. And yet he’s the one getting the throne? Odin didn’t give up trying to get Thor on it, he gave up trying to keep Loki off of it. With me in the picture there’s no way he could have it so the problem takes care of itself.”

“And yet here you stand before me.”

“Yeah. Problem is still alive and kickin’. Norns are probably the ones who told him Loki was Laufey’s biological son. No other way he could’ve known, right?

“If I’m following you correctly, which I’d like to point out is mildly difficult because you keep spitting out ideas and making connections so quickly, you suspect Odin knew a long time ago you would become involved with Loki but he did not know whether or not you would become a problem because the Norns’ gift of foresight ended when the cube bonded with you. But he knew prior to Fate being erased that Sigyn would die. He did not know, and still doesn’t, what will become of Thor and Jane…or Sif. He wants to bring him back here because he does not care for Midgard nor does he want his son to have a human consort. He sees keeping Loki away from you and vice versa as a lost cause because of Loki’s active role in Sigyn’s death and the uncertainty remaining afterward. He used Sigyn to strengthen Loki’s antagonism and make Thor appear to be the better son. You believe that he not only sees your relationship as a threat, not only sees you as a threat, but also sees Loki as a liability.”

“His involvement with me is kinda sorta the reason Ragnarok…is a thing. Falling in love is dangerous. It can make dragons go crazy, cosmic trees shrivel up, and cause a massive war between the Nine Realms. I think, depending on what happens to me, Loki might also be a target as well.”

Heimdall nodded. “Yes, that does sound plausible after taking all of that information into consideration. No matter what you will always be problematic to the Allfather. If Loki were to agree with him and agree that you must be done away with the people of Asgard would not trust him, not after all that has happened since the two of you began courting. Should he do otherwise, the more likely path, he would be just as problematic. Either way Odin has an excuse to get him out of the way and put Thor on the throne to maintain his control.”

“It’s always been just the two of them right? I mean, Baldr was never eligible and everyone fricken’ loved him. Use Loki to make Thor look even better. He’s always wanted Thor on the throne. He didn’t just take Loki from Jotunnheim as political leverage, he needed someone he could blame from the beginning. And who better than a frost giant engaged to a human?” Danielle balled her fists at her sides. “Planning to vilify him from the beginning.”

“So it would seem.”

“Only someone with ties to Asgard would even recognize that bird. Who was it? And what did the message say?”

“I do not know the contents of the message other than it being some sort of bargain to make him return. He probably made mention of your life being at stake, though he would not mention his intentions for ensuring that. Only the involvement of the other realms. But the raven was found by Amora.”

“…and another blonde person with jealousy issues enters the scene!” she exclaimed throwing her arms in the air. “But Thor can take of her himself, right? That’s why you didn’t say anything?”

“I believe Amora to be more a threat to herself than anyone else but if and when the time came, yes. He could and he would. She has already encountered him and made mention that the Allfather is not what he seems.”

“Ooh, I bet he loved hearing that.” Danielle paused and smiled fondly as if reminiscing. “I still remember when he lost his temper in Jotunnheim after Laufey said-” ‘She’ paused and then whispered, “Almost had it.”

Heimdall raised an eyebrow at ‘her’. “Let me guess. It would have been too suspicious if you came in her stead.”

“...it was her idea.”

“No need to be defensive. This is not the first time you’ve had to wear a dress and pretend to be a woman. Give the real Danielle my regards.”

“One final thing.” Loki’s transformation came undone. “Danielle didn’t know that before the cube chose someone, there did still exist a future into which the Norns could see that Fate enforced. She was under the impression that the inevitable choosing would interrupt that gift. You and I know otherwise. Which means Odin also knows and believed otherwise. Before the cube chose anyone I was supposed to engineer Ragnarok. If that were the case then Odin wouldn’t have been seriously targeting Danielle until _after_ she changed that and became the engineer. He just wanted her out of the way because a potential existed?”

“In that moment when the Tesseract decided to do away with all things preordained Danielle had two options. Had she gone with the less than desirable option you still would have initiated the warring itself. Hel spoke with the Norns about the two of you and they showed her the future that would have been, the alternate present, had Danielle chosen otherwise. Either you intentionally instigate warfare or she does inadvertently.”

“No matter what the case she’s problematic and I’m a liability. This is shaping up to be a delightful morning.”

* * *

**Throne Room  
**

After Odin dismissed the guards Hel slowly approached the throne, preparing herself for reprimanding. She kept her eyes downcast, focusing on the glossy, sleek floor to distract herself from the growing anxiety. Aside from the potential for being replaced and neglected Hel had an even greater fear, failure and rejection. She had been left for dead in a frozen desert as a child but created an empire and crown from nothing but bones and dirt. She was not prideful and arrogant nor humble and meek but she was extremely confident. That seemingly unwavering confidence, once characteristic of the queen of a realm destroyed, was being torn apart by an unborn creature that she hated with all she had and more.

Odin was already aware of her mentality and catered to it in order to maintain his hold over her. “You need not look so crestfallen, child. It was your first attempt and you did all you could. I underestimated the forgiving and compassionate nature of that poisonous virago. You have not failed.”

“Not failed?” she whispered to herself and then glanced up slightly, vibrant green eyes shimmering with a rage she had never before experienced, partly hidden behind the curtain her black bangs formed over her face. “Not failed?!” she hissed loudly. “Then why are they still together? Why?!” she shouted like a spoiled child not getting her way.

“He is blinded by her false promises of eternal devotion, something Sigyn always had to offer him. Yet he always rejected her…I will never understand why.”

“That self-aggrandizing, histrionic, psychotic she-devil killed my brothers in case that happened to slip your mind,” she snapped, hands balled at her sides in trembling fists. “Even still…I see now she had far more to offer than that _thing_ ever could. I can only hope Vali and Narfi will be mature enough to understand that after she has been exterminated.”

 _It won’t matter…In the end, none of you will._ “They will in time. Sigyn was not fit to be a mother, but that plague on Asgard is not fit to mother anyone of a higher race.”

“She isn’t fit to parent at all. If I cared I would pity that mutt brewing inside of her.”

“The child is of no concern. Without Danielle there be no child.”

“Even if she were to bear the damned thing it wouldn’t matter. As a female it would not be able to take the throne. It would fall to Vali or Narfi.” _Not only a new child, but a new daughter. Unacceptable._

 _He came so close, only to take on a human for a future wife. The throne was in his grasp but in the end his priorities were diverted once that distraction entered his life. He cannot be trusted with this crown. Once Thor realizes how futile it is to reconcile and court a human he will take the throne. Redeemed or not…Loki never had any birthright. He sealed his own fate. He is tainted. Even after that woman has been erased he will never be able to bear the title King of Asgard. The throne will, after Thor, fall to a Thorson._ “Regardless the abomination cannot taste air. She will die with her mother.”

Hel grinned wickedly. “Is that before or after their betrothal is nullified?”

“Ideally after, unless he wishes to carry out the public execution himself. She is the cause of Ragnarok. The people of Asgard do not need someone who literally breeds danger as a queen. And seeing as she is so very concerned with truth and the greater good I see no reason as to why she would object to that. Tell me Hel.” He leaned forward. “Why did you resurrect her?”

“I didn’t know better at the time. All I knew was that I hated Sigyn, I wanted Sigyn’s head on a spike and her eyeballs in my martinis, and she had the potential to make my father happy. I hadn’t considered the consequences of their union. A judgment error.”

 _Idiotic child. Just like your father. Blinded by her false promises of hope and self-aggrandizing paraded around as altruism. The man with one eye sees more clearly than the whole of this realm, it seems._ “Do not blame yourself. We all make mistakes, just as Loki did in asking for her hand in marriage. A nauseating thought.”

“He is a lost cause now thanks to her, isn’t he?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so. I’ll continue to let him believe that the throne will be his until Thor returns and Danielle has been erased. I already know the perfect way to get rid of her.”

“May I know?” she asked eagerly.

“And spoil the surprise?” _You won’t survive to see it._

“Oh, fine. And Thor’s human lover. What of her?”

“When calamity strikes Midgard, if Thor is still there as it seems he has yet to receive my letter, he will have to pick between the realm and the woman. He can’t protect both.”

“And if she were to somehow survive…can I play with her?” she asked with a sadistic twinkle in her eye.

“Of course,” he lied.

On the other side of the castle Frigga ceased the spell which projected her vision into the throne room.

* * *

**Study Room**

“I just don’t get it,” Danielle mumbled as she drew pictures of Odin being impaled with a spatula on her dry erase board. “Why does the cube keep giving me nightmares instead of showing me stuff relevant to the war? Which seems to be very, very close might I add…”

Sif erased her doodle with the palm of her hand and rubbed the particulates off her skin. “You’re the only one who can communicate with it. Maybe instead of merely relaying a message it’s trying to bring something out of you to contribute to your ability to share and see the knowledge it holds. I doubt it’s for the faint of heart.”

“My father did tell me once ‘fear breeds courage’. Suppose that could be the case.” _This has gone from a study room to a hipster café lounge. Asgard is weird…_

“It might be more than just that,” Hogun added much to the surprise of all present in the room. Danielle dropped the marker she was holding having been so overwhelmed by the shock of Hogun participating in conversation. “Clearly it is shaping these messages in a way only you can understand. I do not think this bond you share is simply that of a source of knowledge and its recipient. I think it might be on a more intimate level. Otherwise it would not be searching your mind and using personal details like memories and fears to make a point. Perhaps you hold just as much influence in the relationship with the cube as it does over your mind.”

“It’s possible. The way it talks to me, the stuff it shows me, how it shows me that stuff is done in a way only I would understand. Yeah, that’s definitely exclusive to the messenger it chooses. Maybe it’s becoming a part of me?” She bent down to pick up the marker she dropped and made a picture of Emma Frost being tackled by smiling cacti. “I am getting really drained after talking to it. Though that could be chalked up to other reasons.” She poked her abdomen a few times and started drawing Ruby Summers drowning and surrounded by sharks and angler fish. “Maybe the cube has the same intentions for me as Odin. When the info is done being shared…yeah. Fun stuff.” She began drawing Odin being hung from the Avenger’s Tower but Sif erased all of her drawings again. The blonde stuck out her tongue before adding thoughtfully, “What I don’t understand is how Odin can be focusing on me so much when there’s a war heading our way. All the prepping is being dumped on you guys.” She pointed back and forth between Tyr and Sif.

“The two don’t have to be mutually exclusive,” the one-handed God pointed out as he gazed out the window, watching with extreme disgust as the senior Einherjar attempted to train the latest batch of new recruits.

“You mean Odin’s attempts at killing her may be key to victory? I suppose that would work…”

“How?” Danielle raised an eyebrow at Fandral.

“For starters, he hates you. He hates that a human could very well bear the title Queen of Asgard. And he does just plain hate you on a personal level, which is understandable considering all the reasons you’ve given him.”

“And I regret nothing!” she declared proudly before sitting down across from him. “Go on.”

“He isn’t the only one as made apparent by the threats the other realms have issued. Is he biding his time, waiting for them to strike first? I doubt it. But it’s likely he could be waiting for them to come here. Everyone wants you out of the picture for some reason or another and everyone wants to stop Yggdrasil from being destroyed, from all of existence from being destroyed. Say he and Hel are working together because they see a common enemy in you. Why not try and do the same with the other realms as they all share a common enemy in you?”

“In other words it’s not just the riddle. He wants to keep me alive as…bait, or something like that? Lure them here and kill me off for all to see to placate them _and_ get what he wants with me dying?”

“Yes, it’s possible. He may be planning to kill you for all to see in hopes that it will inspire everyone to work together. He did try reaching out to Vanaheim, after all. And everyone has been rejecting his efforts because of you.”

Danielle sat silently for a moment, digesting his suggestion. _That never occurred to me…Use me for the riddle **and** to show the other realms he wants to collaborate. Explains why he hasn’t given the order to strike. He hasn’t said a damn thing about going after the other realms and their troops. No coups, no strategizing…Just what we’re gonna do here on Asgard. _ She slammed a hand down on the table and rose abruptly. “And what little patience I had left has officially withered away. I’m tired of waiting. If I really do have a two-way communication bond whatever thing with the Tesseract then I can choke answers out of it. I’ll be back…Next time with the entire riddle to solve. No more of this bits and pieces crap.” She stormed out of the room, en route to where the Tesseract was held.

“Though I’m anything but thrilled Loki is having another child, even if it is with someone as seemingly sensible as her, the terrible timing works in our favor. Our new troops are pathetic enough as is. The last thing we need is a human on the battle field. Who knows what sort of negative impact her inherent weaknesses could have on them?”

All eyes were on Sif.

“Not this again,” Volstagg muttered. “As much as I hate to say it, you’re no better than Odin.”

“How dare you compare me-!”

“He’s right,” Tyr interrupted monotone, trying not to laugh at the heavy injuries the new recruits were taking at the hands of his army. “You don’t know what she can do.”

“I know what she **can’t** do,” the warrior Goddess replied condescendingly.

“She doesn’t represent humankind as a whole,” Fandral reminded. “She’s just one person.”

“One person from a weak race.”

“A weak race or a race that my brother’s paramour is from?” Tyr made his way to the doors. “I don’t know, nor do I care, about the rest of you but I’m getting a drink.”

“No one asked your opinion, Tyr,” she snapped. One foot out the door he replied with a snicker, “No one asked for yours.”

After storming out Danielle was so wrapped up in her frustration she didn’t notice Vali wistfully watching the training, told every guard who informed her that Loki wished to speak with her that it would have to wait, and completely ignored a strangely excited looking Hel. She entered the room it was being held in and locked the door. The cube was bathed in a sky blue ethereal glow, inviting her over for conversation.

“Alright you piece of shit. Time to get this over with. No more messing with my head. No more playing off of my fears or memories. Give me that poem.” She angrily lifted it and glared it down. “You know as well as I that the battle is dangerously close and I’m tired of you fuckin’ around with me.”

“Which battle?” the voice of the spirit within asked playfully, taunting her. “There are many battles to be fought, all part of one great war. Are you referring to Midgard? Odin perhaps? Or all of Ragnarok?”

“The whole shebang. Hit me.”

“Oh, I don’t know if you can handle it all at once,” it warned. She could feel it warming up as if urging her to put it down. Ignoring its attempt she replied, “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“I did warn you…I don’t want to hear you complain should you become overwhelmed.”

“If I ever paid any mind to such words of wisdom I’d never get anything accomplished. I’m willing to take the risk. You know I am.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll pass it along to you…” The light it was bathed in began snaking up her arms in smoky ribbons before forcing its way into her eyes and mouth. After a few seconds her vision blurred and she collapsed to the floor, light blue smoke crawling from her parted lips and a blue glow behind her closed eyelids.

“Satisfied Danielle?” she heard the voice echo in her head. “Now you’ve seen all and can relay all.” She wanted to retort but everything went from tints and shades of blue to black. “But instead of haunting your sleep, your waking life will become the real nightmare. Are you ready for those visions to come true?”

* * *

**Vali and Narfi’s Room**

As they had agreed on earlier that morning, Loki would be speaking with the boys about the plan they had concocted. Neither of them were thrilled with the plan, despite the high likelihood of success.

“It’s too much. It’s too far. There has to be another way,” Narfi insisted. “I don’t dislike it. I detest it. It’s too dangerous! Why does she always do that? Rush in recklessly like that.”

“She doesn’t see it that way,” Loki replied shaking his head. “In her mind it’s taking initiative to protect the well-being of others. Believe me, I’ve tried to convince her otherwise before.”

“That sounds like a pointless conversation,” the youngest remarked. “If that’s what has to happen, that’s what has to happen, I guess. No matter how much we hate it.”

“I see she has you trained well,” Loki snickered. Their conversation dragged out a little longer though nothing new was said, only worded differently. In time a guard who had been searching for Loki by order of the queen came to their room. She found Danielle unconscious in the room housing the Tesseract, seeking her out in hopes to have a private discussion with her over matters she wouldn’t disclose. Danielle was currently in the healing room resting, or ‘regenerating’ to use Eir’s words according to the guard.

Very much like the time Jane came to Asgard with the Aether inside of her, Danielle was housing a powerful energy that her body was slowly trying to integrate into her system until it became a part of her much like a blood transfusion. Blue smoke was still coming from between her lips, behind her eyelids were glowing blue orbs, and her veins and arteries were radiating a dark navy. Unlike the Aether however, Danielle had not been rendered unapproachable but making physical contact with her was difficult unless the party attempting to do so meant no harm and had some sort of connection with her beyond the tangible. It was the only way to explain how the queen was able to get close to her and assess her status while the guards and Eir could only supervise. The queen was also able to determine whether or not the baby’s health had been compromised and she was pleased to report that not only was it unharmed, it seemed to be guarded by a stronger barrier of the Tesseract’s energy to protect the fragile creature from any potential harm its carrier may endure in such a state.

 _And it begins_ , Loki thought to himself as he made his way down to see her. He passed the others along the way, who all said they were incapable of coming near her. Tyr said after left he tried to talk her out of it, convinced it was senseless and would overwhelm her but she wouldn’t listen to him and he had an ugly purple bruise on his left arm to prove it. In spite of her anthropocentric comments Sif was also concerned and relatively surprised that the cube’s energy fusing with Danielle would not let her come near the blonde, a fact which Loki secretly attributed to Danielle’s awareness of Sif’s two-faced and manipulative behavior towards Thor.

When Loki entered Frigga, who looked incredibly concerned despite Danielle’s decent state, smiled in relief when she saw her son. “I hope the guards relayed the message to you. She’s fine and so is the child. The whole of her being is protected by the energy, including the life she carries inside. It’s a part of her. It’s very much like the Odinsleep, if I had to compare it to anything.” She brushed Danielle’s bangs aside and wiped the sweat off her forehead.

“Then why look so troubled?” He sat on the other side of the bed his fiancée was on and faced his mother. He took one of Danielle’s hands into his own, still able to feel the blazing warmth they carried when the energy surged into her.

“I wished to speak to her. To both of you, actually. There is more trouble brewing than I was initially aware of.” The queen glanced at the closed doors as if she could see through them to ensure no one was listening on the other end. “Unlike what some would like you to believe she is not the cause,” Frigga explained quietly. “But she is tangled in the result.”

“Result of what?” he asked feigning cluelessness. Frigga shook her head, knowing better than to speak the words aloud. She looked down at Danielle and checked her pulse, pleased to find it still steady.

“Asgard’s greatest threat is behind its own boundaries,” she whispered. “And at its helm.”

He looked at her as though the implication were laughable. “Really? I wasn’t aware Vanaheim already annexed us.”

“Do not leave her side. Ever. And see to it she never leaves yours. This supposed calm before the storm is far more dangerous than the storm itself.”

“I can see that but you still have yet to tell me why.” _What in the Nine has she uncovered?_

“Before she came here certain parties began…behaving curiously. Those parties have become erratic, reclusive, paranoid even since her arrival. The throne is occupied by the husk of a once noble and trustworthy husband, father, and king. It might as well be empty now, ready to be claimed by another. And Hel is-”

“A jealous, passive-aggressive, adolescent and being dealt with accordingly. What’s this cryptic talk concerning father all about?” _Again, my mouth feels tainted._

“No longer should you think of him as such,” she murmured.

_"A true king admits his faults. What of the lives you took on Earth?”_

_  
“A mere handful compared to the numbers Odin has taken himself.”_

_  
“Your father-”_

_  
“He's not my father!”_

  
_"Then am I not your mother?”_

Loki tried to fight a grin as he raised an eyebrow at her. “This stirs up the memory of a very awkward conversation, but it seems the roles have reversed.”

“Surely you’ve noticed-”

“Of course I have. Why and how did you? Were…? No, no you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t spy on him, would you?” He sounded amused by the idea.

“You’re taking this in far greater stride than I had anticipated. I have no choice but to do all I can to try and take full command over Asgard. Odin is unfit to rule.” She saw no point in holding back the truth about her entire observation if Odin was willing to run the risk of being overheard himself.

“You don’t say…And what does this have to do with Danielle and myself?”

“Odin is using Hel’s anger to make her his puppet. He wants to do away with Danielle and he is actively working to keep the throne away from you, which Hel seemed oddly okay with so long as her own desires are met I suppose.”

 _Heimdall and mother are making the investigating far easier for me than I had anticipated. I didn’t even realize she suspected anything of him._ “What do you intend to do? Surely you can’t be considering trying to cast him out. Without him you have no power.”

“And with him I have even less,” she said pointedly.

“What of the war?”

“Left in capable hands.”

“Only three hands, technically, seeing as Tyr-”

“Loki!” she scolded. “How can you not be serious right now?”

“Because you haven’t told me a damn thing I don’t already know save for the fact that you’re catching on to his game.” _And because I have a game of my own to play._

“And what are you doing about it?” she demanded to know. “Clearly not enough if she felt the need to interact with the Tesseract so heavily that it forced such great amounts of energy into her, when all she can do is speak with it.”

“She did that of her own volition. That was a risk she felt was necessary to take.”

“Hopefully she knew she would come out unscathed, otherwise she would have put the life of your unborn daughter at risk as well.”

Loki’s heart stopped and his façade almost completely dropped. “My…daughter?” _No wonder Hel is so upset._ She nodded slowly, a small smile on her face. “Yes, it’s a girl. Being the patron Goddess of mothers has its perks. Now you can prepare for an even greater challenge you must overcome.”

“That being?”

“A miniature version of her.” She nodded to the unconscious Danielle, trying to keep the mood light. “As if you didn’t have your hands full enough already.”

“…as I’ve tried explaining Sif, she was the one who-” He fell silent and both he and Frigga turned to the door when they heard the sound of very distinct footsteps nearing.

“Eir told me that Lady Danielle fell unconscious.” Odin eyed the queen as the door closed behind him. “You didn’t think to inform me?”

“She was preoccupied with Danielle who, as you just said, fell unconscious.” Loki had great difficulty fighting an acerbic tone. “The energy from the cube is very selective about whom it allows to come near her.”

“The poor thing must be so exhausted,” he said with false concern. “And the child?”

“They’re both alright, she just needs lots of rest,” Frigga replied, disgusted by his charade.

“Was she really trying to force information from the cube? I thought that could not be done.”

“It would appear otherwise, seeing as she’s _unconscious_.”

“Do not take out your frustration with her poor judgment on me,” Odin snapped.

“Not exactly her brightest decision,” he relented as Odin approached the end of the bed curiously. Danielle’s face began to cringe and contort as though she were in pain and when Odin reached out to touch her a blue barrier of pure energy wove itself over her, burning his skin.

“As I said…the cube is very selective about whom it allows to come near her.”

“So I see,” the king muttered as he inspected the wound on his fingertips. “This energy the cube holds is supposed to be level to humans in heavy doses, yet she houses a great deal of it in this meager human form? I’d think it absurd if I couldn’t see it with my own eyes. Here’s hoping that she did indeed accomplish her objective.”

Though by no means compliant to authority figures Danielle’s lips began to move slowly as soon as Odin finished his statement. At first no sound was formed as more blue smoke came out of her throat in thin streaks until her voice rose up to a monotone whisper.

“Forged from fire and ice betwixt, all came to be when nothing exists…”


	20. With Sunrise Comes the Twilight Hour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem 'Winter's Seduction' featured in this chapter was written Yamiga on DeviantArt and used with permission. You can find the original here- http://taoandthen.deviantart.com/art/Winter-s-Seduction-443884185

“‘And from ash will rise ash after the sacrifice is made. Primordial forces bind the new pillar born from exchange. As such rejuvenated are the lands, held together by invigorated hands’. And that’s the last of it.” Danielle folded her hands over her stomach and turned her head to the left. “Got it all?”

“Yes, I did. But I don’t want you working on this until tomorrow at the earliest.” Loki looked up from the paper in his hands on which he wrote down verbatim the complete prophetic poem that the cube had relayed to Danielle. “You’ve put yourself through enough already.”

“Hard as this may be to believe I wasn’t planning on it,” she replied, slowly hoisting herself up and leaning back against the headboard. She had been sleeping in one of the healing rooms for the past eight hours since her encounter with the cube that morning. “How did they take it?” she asked, bracing herself for the worst possible response. Though the plan she and Loki were going to implement was almost foolproof, especially with the assistance of Vali and Narfi, she felt a tremendous amount of guilt from dragging them into it knowing it would overwhelm them.

“They don’t like it as to be expected, but they appreciated we told them,” he said. Though his diction was neutral and vague the look on his face confirmed her fear. “While you were unconscious I also told Fenrir. He’s clearly crestfallen by the thought alone but upon being reminded of the objective he became compliant.” She raised an eyebrow at him and Loki momentarily averted her gaze before exhaling sharply. “Alright, yes, I had to bribe him with the promise of being able kill Odin. It was the only way he would agree.”

“Heimdall already knows I’m sure but since he’s on our side he won’t say anything,” Danielle thought aloud.

“After Odin left I told my mother as well. She is overwhelmed enough as is. But even if I hadn’t done so she would have been able to piece it together herself.” Loki paused for a moment, the look on his face giving Danielle the impression that he was entertaining adding another angle to their plan. “You still haven’t met Sleipnir, have you?”

She shook her head. “Nope, sadly. Think he should know?”

“Yes, for the very same reasons Fenrir, Vali, and Narfi should. Except he hasn’t met you yet. I’d rather he not get the wrong impression about you and I don’t think he would take kindly to being left in the dark. I think you should tell him.” He set the parchment aside and sat next beside her on the bed. “How are you feeling now? You still look rather pale.”

“Well I haven’t eaten much of anything and I…was knocked unconscious. That could have something to do with it.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I got the whole thing. The entire poem. As soon as it’s unraveled the sooner the plan gets sped along and we take that fuckface out for good. But…before I went to go mess around with it Hogun said something about the relationship being more than just sender and recipient. Like I have just as much influence on that stupid thing as it does me. And while I was out I didn’t have any Tesseract-induced nightmares or dreams or whatever, but I was still there. Inside it. Just like I’ve always been whenever I dreamt. And this time it felt familiar and, as weird as this is gonna sound all things considered, safe. I didn’t encounter the spirit in the cube but I didn’t feel alone and I felt like I was in complete control. It said to me, right after it forced all that info in my head like a sledgehammer on a pebble, that everything I had seen during those dreams was gonna happen. And now that it’s all out of my head, out of the cube, whatever is left inside is…I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.” She shook her head. “But Sigyn said the cube showed her the actions of everyone who tried using it before. She never mentioned a spirit inside. Funny, ‘cause I do remember telling her that if the cube talked to her it would tell her to fuck off.” She grinned at the fond memory. “I’m wondering if there was something inside already, something sleeping and waiting to be triggered, or if that spirit was created…by me.” She lightly bopped herself on the head with her knuckles. “The way it digs through my brain and talks so casually to me, like we’ve known each other since forever and then some…” She bit her lip as she searched for the right words but Loki beat her to it.

“You think the spirit inside the cube might be a part of you.”

She nodded quickly. “Yeah, exactly. I mean, Ragnarok got the green light eight years ago but there was no communication with the cube until Ragnarok got personal. For me, that is. Yeah, I know, I’m the messenger, whatever, but why the wait if I’m supposed to be the one relaying everything inside? Was there even anything inside to be relayed until it started talking to me days ago? After all when we made that bond Fate and the future as we all knew it fell to shit and nothing was set in stone anymore. And if the cube is supposed to hold all the answers, be the panacea to the pandemic that is Ragnarok, then why wait? Nothing was stopping it from talking to me. It seems completely deliberate, planned by the spirit itself to contact me not when Ragnarok started to stir eight years ago but once it began to affect me and my life. Until I was dragged into the events themselves. Waiting to talk to me was pointless unless the spirit thing wasn’t even there until it started to talk to me.” She winced and rubbed her forehead.

“As useful as it would be to know that information is inconsequential at the moment. You’re over thinking.” He rubbed the middle of her back soothingly. _As soon as it seems things can’t become any more complicated…What is that spirit? If it was able to affect me directly then perhaps I can find out to take burden away from Danielle._

“I guess. Keep it up and I’ll give myself a migraine. So whaddya think we should do with that?” She nodded towards the written verses. “Odin’s gonna want ‘em solved and I definitely wanna solve them but…Just keep working as usual I guess? Go along with playing helper monkey?”

“If we’re going to see the plan through then yes, you’ll have to bend his will.”

She groaned obnoxiously load and fell back on the bed. “Screw that. I’m going back to sleep.” She closed her eyes and curled up against the pillow.

“Danielle…I wish I could think of another way. Truly, I do.” _It certainly isn’t something I want. It’s a rather extreme attempt at vengeance, even for me._

“I know,” she muttered, twirling her engagement ring around her finger. “And the plan really is a good one, in concept. It’s just gonna be really rough in application. And hopefully short-lived. Speaking of, Fandral also told me something worth mulling over.”

“Yes, I know. He spoke to me earlier as he thought it crucial to bring to my attention.”

“Makes sense, using me as bait,” she said peeking one eye open and shrugging her shoulders. “Actually, screw this too. My last day before the ‘real fun’ begins,” she mumbled sarcastically as she sat up. “Not gonna spend it moping.” She ran her fingers through her hair, side swept bangs falling halfway over her left eye like a golden curtain. “And the green has faded out of my hair. Meh, whatever. Crap and a half, I’m starving. Any idea where Vali and Narfi are? I’d like to spend some time with them before…ya know.”

“I’ll give you a hint. I’m starting to fear that they like you more than me,” he replied with pseudo concern then added with a slight smile, “Though I honestly can’t blame them should it be the case.”

“Fricken’ sap,” she muttered rolling her eyes. “So exactly how upset were they, on a scale of _The Da Vinci Code_ not only being published but turned into a movie to…beef lo mein delivery arriving super duper late?”

“…what in the hell kind of scale of measurement is that?”

“An awesome one. I burned that book as it made me lose hope for humanity for awhile and the last time my beef lo mein came late I cried. A lot. Granted PMS was a factor but still…that’s just **tragic**. T-R-A-G-I-C.”

“Perhaps we should assess you to make sure you haven’t suffered brain damage.”

“Go play in traffic.”

* * *

**Royal Gardens**

As one would expect the exterior of the palace was just as elaborate and beautiful as the interior. Tended to primarily by Frigga’s handmaidens, as the queen frequented it more often than anyone else, the design was mostly assembled at her request. It was large and bedecked with flowers native to Asgard (one of a which, a purple one, Danielle couldn’t help but pick and put behind her ear) including a variety with healing properties Eir used for poultices, hedges trimmed and shaped to mirror the stories of old with a handful carrying Baldr’s image to commemorate him, and a cascade of water which remained forever pure running down a fountain that never emptied adjacent to a golden pavilion design for small parties (which Danielle assumed was intended for the royal family).

She wanted to spend the evening having dinner with Vali and Narfi as it would be the last evening she would be able to spend any leisure time with them for awhile. Heimdall never gives in to silly requests but he dare not argue with Danielle or her cravings and though he felt it undermined him as the one and only gatekeeper he agreed to open the Bifrost to bring up gallons of beef lo mein. Vali and Narfi were eager to learn more about Midgard and her life there and she knew of no better way to introduce them than with her favorite food, though she had great difficulty holding back laughter by how frustrating they found using chopsticks.

“Ya know,” Vali began as he struggled to pick up a small slice of beef from the carton, “I’m surprised you’re doing this. Really surprised.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that? It’s not like I want to but it’s what has to be done,” Danielle said with a casual shrug. Vali nodded slowly. “That’s what I mean. Father mentioned once that you used to do that a lot. Always putting others before you and not thinking of yourself. I get it, noble and all, but you did it so much that is was…He said it was unhealthy.”

She covered her mouth with the back of her hand to keep from spitting up a mouthful of noodles, throat trembling as she choked on her own laughter. Cheeks bright red, she managed to swallow and replied, “I’m sure he did. It’s true. It was unhealthy. But I didn’t see it that way. I always did what I had to do to protect my family, and my family was my world. So in doing everything I could for them it was just another way of keeping my world intact. But yes, I never did take my own needs and what not into consideration. He used to give me such a hard time about it…A lotta people did but he was the only one who ever got through to me.”

“He said you were done.” Narfi had been uncomfortably quiet for most of the evening. He cast a frustrated glance at Danielle and returned to his food. “He said you would stop doing that.”

“Well I did.” _What’s up with Narfi?_ She pulled up her legs and crossed them beneath her. “But this time is different. Because my family is in danger again. Except it’s not just the people who raised me. It’s Frigga, Loki, you guys, your siblings…Before I did it because I didn’t know any other way. Now I’m doing it because it’s the only way. Whether I like it or not.”

“No it’s not,” he grumbled. “You’re smarter than that and so is he. You can think of something better.”

“We tried Narfi,” she said slowly and quietly, his anxiety and sadness rubbing off on her. “At first I was excited by the idea because I knew it would throw everyone for a loop. But then we realized the negative consequences and tried to come up with something else but nothing-”

“You weren’t trying hard enough then,” he interrupted sharply.

“It’ll help rush things along so the sooner we start the sooner Ragnarok ends and the sooner we can drop the whole damn thing.”

Vali fought a sigh as he rolled his eyes. After Loki had told him of the plan he and Danielle concocted Narfi launched into an impassioned rant to Vali about how ridiculous and moronic the idea was. Never before had Vali seen Narfi so upset save for the cool winter morning Sigyn stained Asgard’s snow with the blood of her sons. He knew exactly why Narfi was so upset and had hoped that he would work out his concerns himself instead of take out his anger on Danielle.

“Family,” the elder twin muttered with mild disgust. “Is this really a family? Because it feels more like a circus, and we’re all playing the fool.”

“I definitely don’t see Odin as family,” she said calmly, hoping to diffuse his growing irritability. “He’s been carefully watching his words to get away with lying to Loki _still_ and he’s using Hel as a fricken’ puppet. He said he wanted Loki to happy but that doesn’t mean he wants me to be the source. He said I’d make a good queen but that doesn’t mean he wants me to be queen. Asshole has been planning this for so long now…I don’t need to say anything about Sigyn. And no one knew any of this stuff until recently. It doesn’t seem like it, I know. But sometimes things need to fall apart so better things can fall into place. Just like the old prophecies of Ragnarok. If those were still in place, well, I’d be lacking a cuddle buddy. And that would really suck. This family façade that everyone has been forced to deal with for so long has to be ripped apart so we can take that which is salvageable and put it together like…like a phoenix from the ashes, you could say.”

“For a phoenix to be reborn it has a die a painful and fiery death.”

She shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the element. “Yeah, it does-”

“You won’t come out of this without getting burned. None of us will.” He looked down at his carton, which was still very full and then set it down beside himself. “I’m not hungry anymore. Thanks for the food.” Concerned as she was she saw no point in trying to stop him and force him to carry on the conversation, so instead she bid him goodnight but received no response. Silently she watched him reenter the castle, kicking at the ground and biting her lip.

“Don’t mind him,” Vali said quietly as he watched his twin depart. “He’s really, **really** upset about the whole thing.”

“I don’t blame him,” Danielle replied sighing. “We all are.”

Vali shook his head. “No, not what I mean. See, we were both really excited about the ‘new mother’, ‘real mother’, ‘first mother’ thing. And I still am. But Sigyn was the cruelest to him out of us two, so he feels…betrayed I guess, by this whole thing.”

“She was? Why? Not that the psycho bitch needed a reason to be a psycho bitch to anyone…” Danielle finished her food and set the empty carton aside, grabbing Narfi’s barely touched food and beginning to scarf it down.

“He’s the most like our father and that pissed her off I guess. Don’t know why. Maybe she didn’t like being reminded of him all the time?”

She raised her eyes in surprise. “He is? How?”

“Well maybe not so much in personality but -and I never told you this because Sigyn always ridiculed him and he doesn’t want people knowing- Narfi is a self-taught magic user. He only got most of the basics down before she killed us but he’s an EXTREMELY talented shapeshifter. He used to pretend he was me to get me in trouble,” he chuckled and Danielle cracked a smile. “Shapeshifting to get you in trouble? OK, yeah, he’s more like Loki.”

“But part of the reason it bugs him so much is…See, Hel told us something. Something she learned from some mythology scholar who ended up in Helheim. I dunno if it’s true or not so I need you to verify. There’s a story that says I, after Baldr died, turned into a wolf and killed him? And when father had to be punished because everyone thought he killed Baldr he was chained up with Narfi’s guts?” He grinned in triumph as he finally mastered the art of picking up the slippery, sauce-coated noodles.

“Yeah, that’s how the story goes. But I know it’s bullshit and Loki didn’t kill Baldr the way the story says, and that you had nothing to do with Narfi dying.”

“So that’s what people believe? That I’m a murderer?” he asked visibly hurt.

She gave him a light reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. “Yeah, but fuck ‘em. Anyone who thinks that was led to believe it to keep the truth not only from Earth but the universe as a whole it seems. You’re no fratricidal maniac. But if you’re the one who shapeshifted in the story why does it bother him so much?” Danielle nodded towards the direction Narfi had taken upon his departure.

“Sigyn mocked and ridiculed his ability, said he was an abomination or something. And after we died we learned there was that story where I shapeshifted and killed him, and it seemed like he started to believe her. And because the effects of shapeshifting killed him he did that thing you said father did…The thing that you said father did to make him hate himself.”

“Internalization?”

“Uh huh.”

“So he took that story, where the very magic he can use killed him, as a symbolic representation of his own abilities being ‘the death of him’ and something terrible and to be feared and hated?”

“Yeah, something like that. Father doesn’t even know because Narfi was never able to bring himself to tell him, ‘cause of how Sigyn made it seem so terrible, like he was cursed.”

“Well I can tell ya for certain that Loki would definitely be able to relate to that feeling. What about you? What’s your claim to fame?”

“Me? Oh, um, well, I used to practice swordsmanship with Hel and her subjects sometimes and I had this stupid dream of leading the Einherjar like Uncle Tyr.”

“You wanna join the military?” she asked surprised. “Ya know your strength and his magic could definitely come in handy when the final battle happens.”

“How?” he asked dubiously. “It’s not like we’re gonna be out there fighting.”

“No. But neither will I. And I doubt Frigga will. Someone’s gotta protect the castle, the queen, the queen-to-be, and…”

“ _And?_ ” His eyes lit up with excitement, knowing exactly what it was Danielle was referring to.

“Want me to spoil it or wanna be surprised?” she grinned.

“I, um, shit, that’s a tough question.” He furrowed his brow in serious contemplation as he finished his food. “I guess for now keep it a secret but if the pregnancy is gonna take forever I won’t be able to handle waiting too long. We’ll see. But I want a sister.”

“No idea how long it’s gonna take. That is a little scary, to be totally honest with you. For all we know it might take a few months, or over a year. Midgard time, I mean. I still haven’t mastered the ‘conversion rate’. Took me only six months when it’s supposed to take ten, but I’m not exactly…normal on a biochemical level.”

“I wanna see New York someday,” he said dreamily, elbows on his knees and chin in his palms.

“You will. Your grandparents are gonna want you to come visit for Christmas and stuff,” she pointed out with a smile.

“Grandparents? As in Iron Man and Captain America?” he breathed.

 _Epiphany?_ “Well, yeah, those are my parents.”

“People in Helheim were always talking about the Avengers!” he said excitedly, gripping the edge of the bench. “Never realized until just now that Iron Man and Captain America…are my **grandparents**.” His eyes widened. “This family is so badass! Maybe that’ll cheer Narfi up, knowing that when this is all over he’s gonna have a real and huge family, not just a mother. A bunch of people to lean on and looking out for each other. I know Fenrir already knows what’s going on. Does Sleipnir?”

She shook her head. “Nope. Loki wants me to tell him since I haven’t met him yet and he doesn’t want him to think poorly of me once we get the ball rolling. Was thinking of telling him tomorrow morning, before the mess begins.”

“Why wait? We can go now. Come on, let’s go see him.”

“Can I finish my food first?” she whined.

“Oh fine. Crybaby.”

After Danielle finished everything and discarded the twelve cartons Vali led her to the stable where Sleipnir was kept. Despite how fancy and gorgeous it appeared it need not be said that the horse was like a prisoner, only to be released when Odin needed him.

“I do have something I wanna ask you before we head in.” Vali turned around and looked at Danielle curiously. “What do you think about what Hel did? It stays between us, not gonna judge your opinion.”

“She’s jealous and scared and she’s being manipulated but I’ve never seen her cave in like this before. Either she’s **that** scared or **that** weak. I don’t want it to be because she’s weak. Me and Narfi always looked up to her. She protected us after we died. I hoped that would get through to Narfi so he wouldn’t be so pissed off about everything we’re doing. It’s not just about getting rid of _him_ , it’s to help Hel too, right?”

“Exactly.”

“Ya know, you never did tell us your favorite poem in that book you were reading.”

“You’re right. How about I lend it to you guys so you have something to help keep your mind off…ya know, that stuff? Granted the Romantics weren’t the perkiest authors but hot damn did they know how to work a pen.”

“Was that supposed to be a euphemism? Because it definitely sounded like one.” Vali opened the gilded doors to Sleipnir’s stable.

“Look at Lord Byron’s personal life and you tell me,” the literature aficionado chuckled as she followed behind Vali, hands in her pockets. Hardly to her surprise it looked like a regular horse stable except there was one massive stall and everything was either made of gold or painted to resemble it. Laying down in the stall was the one and only eight-legged horse and the oldest of her stepchildren, Sleipnir. He slowly lifted his head and sniffed the air. What happened next made Danielle shriek and jump in surprise.

“Good evening Vali,” the horse greeted as it gracefully rose to its feet and calm over to the two of them. “What brings you here?”

Vali stepped aside and dramatically motioned towards Danielle. “Lady Danielle, I present to you my oldest sibling and your one of your many future stepchildren Sleipnir.”

The horse bowed his head to her. “I was wondering when I would finally have the pleasure of meeting you.”

“…you…can…talk…” she barely managed to get out, stumbling over her words. _Fenrir can’t talk! Jormungandr can’t talk! Why can he?! Holy hell my family is so weird. An adorably passive-aggressive fiancé with daddy issues, a half-rotten corpse who would make Morticia Adams shit herself for a daughter, sons including a huge wolf, the Loch Ness monster’s worst nightmare, two insanely adorable twins that I can’t wait to corrupt with the pout, an unborn daughter who’s the first half-Jotunn half-human in the history of EVERYTHING, and now Mr. Ed! I know this is Asgard but…WHAT THE HELL?!_

Sleipnir chuckled, his voice melodic and soft. “Yes, of course I can. Ah, you’re confused as to why Fenrir and Jormungandr cannot? Is that correct?” Eyes still wide in surprise she nodded slowly. “Jormungandr and Fenrir were deprived of socialization and so they never developed verbal communication skills, you see. I, on the other hand, as Odin’s steed maintained verbal communication with the Allfather and Allmother regularly so I learned how to speak.” He tilted his head to the side and made what appeared to be a small smile. “You’re nothing like what I had pictured you to be. During the rare occasions when father was able to come visit me he talked for hours and hours about you. All good things, I promise.”

“Pfft. That’s subjective,” she snorted amused. “So how am I unlike what you pictured?”

“He wasn’t lying when he said it was impossible to put into words how beautiful you are.”

Her face went bright red. “Oh,” she squeaked embarrassed. “He said that…Of course he said that. Hey Vali, would you mind if me and Sleipnir had a one-on-one?” She glanced over at the other blond.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, sure. See ya later Sleipnir, Danielle!” He waved goodbye and left the two alone. Try as he might Danielle could feel the emotional duress and pain he was experiencing as well, though he went out of his way to hide it unlike Narfi.

 _Hiding feelings? Maybe for the sake of others? If Narfi is like Loki then Vali…I barely even know the two of ‘em and already we’re…Everything got ten times suckier._ She folded her arms over her chest. “You know Ragnarok is upon us, right?”

“Of course. I’ve known for years.”

“Vali seemed familiar with you. Has he told you much of anything about me since he came back to life?”

“That the cube chose you. That things in the castle are becoming increasingly tense and he isn’t sure why.”

“Well he knows why now. And Loki and I are gonna do something about it. Fenrir and the twins know. Loki wanted me to be the one to tell you the plan because, well, this is the first time we’ve met and should you see the plan in action he was afraid you’d get the wrong impression. And he didn’t want that.” She bit her lower lip. “It won’t be pretty.”

He nodded towards the hay bales. “Come, sit. And tell me everything. You seem very scared,” he observed.

“Heh. That’s because I am.”

* * *

**Loki and Danielle’s Room**

After her conversation with Sleipnir, Danielle had encountered Fenrir on her way back to the castle. Though he already knew what to expect she also wanted to provide verbal reassurance that everything would work out in the end and everything he would witness until the war was over was a ‘necessary evil’ of sorts, one in which he would play a very crucial role. That aside she wanted to take the chance to remind him that no matter what would happen in the days to come she, Loki, and his siblings (even the misguided and manipulated Hel) still cared for him very much. Like the twins he didn’t bother hiding his frustration towards the matter but a few cuddles and nuzzle here and there told Danielle that he was preparing himself to accept the consequences, for better or for worse. Sleipnir had been extremely mature about the news and agreed with Loki and Danielle that their plan, though deceptive to most and painful for the most important, would work should everyone play their part. His confidence surprised her considering this was the first time he heard of Odin’s actions in great detail but he made it very clear that there was no one he trusted more than Loki, and that included having faith in his judgment and consequently faith in Danielle for her role in finalizing the plan.

When she returned to the castle she was surprised to find the room empty until she saw a note on the bedside table. She lifted it and quietly read it aloud as she lay down on her stomach, legs kicking in the air. “‘Danielle, Narfi came to me in need of emotional comfort regarding our approach to Ragnarok. Pending on what time you return please try and stay awake until I come back. Love, Loki.’ Approach to Ragnarok? That’s one way of putting it.” She rose and went over to the fireplace which sprang to life as soon as she stood before it. She tossed the note into the flames and glanced over at the balcony. The sun had almost completely set. She closed the large curtain and returned to bed, grabbing the latest book she was tackling from a growing pile on the floor and sat up, back to the headboard and legs close to her chest to rest the book on as she read. There was one poem in particular to which she kept returning to as it reminded her of their relationship, specifically how it progressed over the years; it was appropriately titled _Winter’s Seduction_. A reminder like that was something she was in desperate need of right now.

_Winter seduces me_   
_Creeps upon me without a word,_   
_Touching me,_   
_Grabbing me,_   
_taking away my innocence._   
  
_After all these years, I still cannot hide from it._   
_Winter is everywhere._   
_Draped in white, only to hide_   
_devious intentions._

“Most couples have their special song…I’d take this over a stupid song any day,” she whispered to herself with a slight smile. “‘Devious intentions’…It’s too perfect.” She read it over and over again to distract herself from the impending conversation. The sun had set and the fireplace was the only source of light in the room, something which would cause great strain on the eyes of someone without the biochemical enhancements the SSS granted. Midnight was drawing near and Danielle was having trouble staying awake until the doors opened slowly. Immediately she caught her second wind and put the book aside feeling completely awake and energized.

“He’s feeling better now. I had no idea he would take it like this.”

Her smile faded at the reminder of what came tomorrow. “That’s good,” she said quietly, stretching out her legs and rubbing her eyes. “So, um, I talked to Sleipnir. He took it well. And I talked to Fenrir too. He seems to be the most upset…Can’t say I blame him since he’s known me the longest.” She rested her folded arms over her lap and sighed heavily. “What if I do start having nightmares again? And even if I don’t, everything is still gonna suck and who will I be able to turn to, huh? No one. I’m completely, totally, and utterly alone.” She dropped her chin into her palms. “This sucks.”

“You’re alone? _You’re_ alone? Then what am I?”

“…also alone…” she grumbled poking at the bed. “I’m not trying to turn this into a Depression Olympics or Perdition Competition, OK? I’m just spewing forth all the crap that’s spinning around in my head before it deteriorates what little sanity I feel like I have left.” She chuckled cynically and shook her head. “I feel like I should be bawling right now but I’m not. Probably won’t until after the confrontations begin.” She glanced up at him and smirked as she rose from the bed. “Practicing avoiding me already?” She put her hands on her hips. “I hate this. You hate this. That goes without saying. But instead of doing something we’re unfortunately very good at, moping and brooding, how about we spend the last night we have together for Gods only know how long doing something else we’re good at?”

“That being?”

 _He’s already trying to shut down to keep himself from feeling any pain…It’s just a damn charade and it was your idea! Still, I can’t blame him._ “Each other?” she suggested with a perky grin. “Seriously though…I would drown the sun if it meant tomorrow never came. Right here and now, this feels like the real end of the world to me. But like I told Narfi earlier, sometimes things need to fall apart so something better can fall into place. And sometimes you need to pretend something is falling apart for something amazing to fall into place. Even if _we’re_ pretending, everything that truly needs to fall apart **will**. Odin’s dictatorship, Hel’s misery, Narfi’s anger, Frigga having no choice but to watch from the sidelines as her husband goes insane, me being trapped, you being trapped…It all ends here. No questions, no exceptions, no excuses. So don’t-”

“Danielle,” he interrupted locking eyes with her, gaze intense. She knew what was coming next. “You don’t need to start acting until tomorrow.”

Her lower lip trembled and she kicked at the ground. “Can you blame me for trying?” she murmured. “I could never hate you so I don’t know how I could pretend to. You could throw my dad out a window again and I still wouldn’t hate you! ‘Cause, well, he probably deserved it. I think the only way I could ever truly hate anyone is if they erased beef lo mein from existence. That’s…that’s just not nice. And neither is this position we’ve been forced into courtesy of he-who-will-not-be-named-in-my-presence. I know in the end it’ll all be worth it but…I just can’t stop thinking of all the millions of ways it could go wrong.”

“I think I know of a way to put your mind at ease.”

“Be my cuddle buddy forever and ever?”

“Aside from that. You can yell at me to your heart’s content.” _If that doesn’t help, nothing will._

She couldn’t help but crack a tiny smile. “Are ya sure you wanna grant me that privilege? I’ll totally abuse it.”

“Then forget I said anything.”

“Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. You can’t take that away from me.”

“I think I can and I think I did…”

“Pfft. As if I listen to you anyway,” she said pressing a finger into his chest. _Yeah, this is definitely how we should be spending the last night together. As if tomorrow isn’t gonna come. Just me and him and playful banter and all that good stuff. Get it in while we still can._ “OK, now that I’m not so mopey and my little freakout is done and over…I’d like to spend tonight as if tomorrow will be like any other day. Sound good?”

He took her hand between his, absentmindedly twirling her engagement ring back and forth. “Sounds perfect.”

“Of course it does. It was my idea,” she grinned. _Yup, just like any other night._

* * *

**Danielle’s Dream**

Deep blue eyes fluttered open and Danielle found herself sitting on the throne of Asgard, surrounded by loyal subjects. Their eerily perfect stillness and silence made them seem more like dolls or figurines. “That’s one way to decorate a throne room I guess,” she muttered to herself. A familiar glow materialized at the very end of the room and pushed its way through the crowd, knocking over ever bowing subject that stood in its way. She jumped as they shattered like porcelain as soon as they hit the floor.

“I thought you were outta here…I thought I was outta here!” she exclaimed.

“Oh this isn’t the cube,” it replied casually, kicking an Asgardian guard aside creating a domino effect that sent a plethora of others tumbling. “This is just a dream. A normal dream. But just because I’m no longer connected to it doesn’t mean I’m not still connected to you.” It made a sound of disapproval like the clicking of a tongue. “So you’re going to fake a break up, hm?” It ascended the steps and sat casually next to Danielle who quickly scooted away from it. Ignoring her discomfort it rested an arm on the throne and faced her. “I’m not sure how I feel about that to be completely honest with you. Let’s pretend that while faking it you do begin to re-examine your feelings for Loki…Rather risky, riskier than you initially thought, wouldn’t you agree?”

Danielle shoved her hands in her pockets and looked away, biting her lip. It wouldn’t be the first time if that were to happen, though it was fleeting before. “Nothing wrong with that. Doesn’t mean we actually would break up. Examining my feelings and questioning them are two very different things.”

She felt as though the spirit were smiling at her. “It’s still gnawing away at you, isn’t it? You don’t know who I am.” It chuckled softly.

Still looking away she replied, “Nope. Starting to care less and less.”

“But you’re curious regardless. Let’s play the question game. When did I first start talking to you? When Loki came back for you. That very night actually. You know, _that_ night,” it said suggestively and Danielle faked a gag. The antagonistic spirit was the second to last person she wanted to tell her about her sex life; Odin effortlessly claimed the first spot on the list. It continued on. “And after that night…Fate is no longer set in stone. Rather it’s malleable, like wet clay. Nothing ensured what would come of that night but something came of it regardless. You know, the natural consequences.” The spirit suddenly took on a feminine voice. “If you mess this up you’ll destroy me and any chance I have at a happy life. Do you really want that on your conscience? I asked if you could bear all that responsibility and you seemed confident. Now you’re shaking. Why are you shaking?” There was a hint of mild concern in its voice.

 _Not everything is set in stone but things are…The natural consequences of certain events…HOLY SHIT!_ “I…I did make you…” the blonde breathed and the spirit laughed.

“You can’t take all the credit. As I said before, no matter what happens to the cube I’ll always be connected to you.” Had Danielle faced the spirit she would’ve noticed a pair of deep blue eyes appeared on its face, the same color as hers and Steve’s. “Something I think you’ve failed to realize is that the cube travels through space and time. How else would I know all that I do? To be able to relay it all to you? Here’s your problem. Your life on Earth became normal, or as close as it could be to normal. You went to school, became a CEO…That sounds nothing like the Danielle you used to be. Ambitious, spontaneous, fun. You’re driven but you have no drive. You became complacent, serious, boring. No passion and above all no courage. You want to know why I’ve been so harsh to you? ‘Fear breeds courage’. You said so yourself. And yet here you are panicking over something you can easily overcome. You’re letting your fears get the better of you. The younger Danielle, the one who stormed into that trial and argued with Odin to Helheim and back, the one who cared little to naught for what her peers thought of her, the one who accepted that she was dying and eventually dead…Where is she now? Where did she go? All that’s been left behind is this shadow, this imitation, this sad excuse for the young woman you wanted to grow up to be. The question becomes where did you go wrong? Why did you undergo this metamorphosis into a lackluster clone living in the shadow of your own legacy?”

“How should I know?!” she snapped and huffed in frustration. “This is the first time anyone has ever brought it to my attention!”

“I’ve been trying! I suppose I haven’t been explicit enough. Instead of your inexplicable obsession to keep things running smoothly you’ve started to _plan_. Since when do you _plan_? Since when did you stop adapting and start reacting?”

“I never had the opportunity to do otherwise I guess. I’m rusty.” She tilted her head to the side and rubbed her forehead.

“Tch. As if you ever needed practice in the past. You were born that way. Weren’t you given a golden piece of advice to accept the life you were born into? That didn’t just mean to revel in the spotlight for awhile. That also meant to continue being who you are, who you were meant to be. Not become this cowardly little girl who’s afraid of her own damned past victories and accomplishments. Or is that too much pressure for you after all? Are you unable to continue on that way? Has your own persona overwhelmed you?”

Eyes narrowed Danielle folded her arms over her chest and turned to the ‘spirit’. “You’re the last person who should be lecturing me.”

“Oh am I now? Because if memory serves you lectured your parents all the time. Remember when they started fighting eight years ago? You were the only one who could get through to them. And I’ll be damned if I don’t put forth any effort to do to the same. Could I honestly call myself ‘Daniellesdottir’ if I didn’t?”

“All along you’ve been that ‘beautiful secret’ haven’t you? You picked the worst time to be conceived, ya know that?”

“I didn’t tell you two when to fuck.”

“…you’re grounded.”

“Not even queen and you’re already taking punitive measures,” she mocked. “If you want to secure this throne then listen because I’m only going to say this once. Stop hiding. Stop fighting everyone who believes in you. Stop suppressing that courage and strength I know you have somewhere inside of you. And start fighting the real enemy. Which, as it stands, isn’t Odin. Not yet.”

“Now I’m totally lost.”

“So long as you continue to panic and whimper from the sidelines the real enemy is you.”

Eyes downcast, Danielle let the words sink in. As much as she hated to admit it, it was true. Without the excitement of Gods and monsters, of DIGITAL and the Avengers her life had become normal and as she does with any situation she adapted; she too became ‘normal’. Now she had been thrust back into that fantastical world she conquered in her youth utterly clueless and unprepared. There was more to it than hating Odin, than Loki and a wedding to plan, but there was also a war. Not an invasion like she experienced eight years ago or a single battle but a true war. A war no different than what her father has experienced when he first claimed the moniker Captain America, the type of war Thor fought in after chaos erupted between the realms before the convergence, a war Tony once contributed weapons of mass destruction to, a war Natasha no doubt bore witness to as a youth brainwashed by the facilitators of the Red Room, and a war Clint had no doubt participated in some way or another when still a younger agent (an issue never pressed or explored). She was more than a fighter or a tactician, she was a soldier but she had yet to accept that.

“I wasn’t ready for any of this,” she admitted. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into. What I’m in the middle of. I highly doubt Loki knew or he would’ve told me. He did say there wouldn’t be any expectations on me because of any standards set due to my prior achievements.”

“He too failed to take into consideration that only so much of what would be expected of you had anything to do with the past. But the past has passed. All that matters is now. Here’s my question for you. Now that you know all of this, now that you have these demons inside of yourself to wrestle with and cage, do you still think a fake breakup is a good idea?”

“Yeah. Stepping back from everything and everyone gives me a chance to recalibrate, if you will. I’m not saying Loki encouraged me to keep acting this way but…Maybe me and him got so caught in the whole ‘marriage’ thing we kinda forgot about how we arrive at actually ‘getting married’.”

“Jumped the gun in saying yes?”

“Maybe I did. I would’ve said it eventually though. So why delay the inevitable?” she grinned. “The time apart will be good for us though, I think. Not like the eight year separation but it gives us both some space and time to deal with the issue at hand instead of dealing with the issue at hand so we can get married. One thing at a time.”

“Good. That’s what I was hoping to hear. My work here is done then. And when the time comes I doubt I’ll remember any of this. Probably for the best. I’d rather lead a life of my own than one forged by that cube.”

“Then I won’t see you again for a few months?” _FINALLY._

“Oh you’ll see me alright because you’ll turn into whale,” the essence of her unborn daughter laughed. Danielle frowned and folded one leg over the other. “So grounded. So fricken’ grounded.”

“Punish me when I exist. You have some acting skills to sharpen. Not once did you ever hate him…Can you bring yourself to pretend that you do?”

“Only one way to find out. Time to get messy.”

“It sounds like your courage is returning already.”

“He said so himself, I get to yell at him all I want. Like hell I won’t exploit that privilege.”

“One last thing I should mention,” she said putting a finger in the air. “This plan of yours is mentioned in the riddle, as am I…though not as explicitly as the first. Don’t reveal the meaning of that second passage to him. It’s-”

“A tie-in to the ‘beautiful secret’ crap, yeah, yeah, whatever. He’ll know if I’m lying if I say I haven’t solved it.”

“He trusts you.” It was more statement than question. “He should trust your judgment if you say you can’t tell him. That information was meant for you after all. You chose to share it.”

“I can’t say I’m too thrilled about having to keep that from him.”

“Trust me, he won’t want to know until the time comes.”

“That’s reassuring,” Danielle smirked sarcastically. “Ya know, I don’t know whether or not I should thank you or kick you.”

“I’m ethereal.”

“Wouldn’t stop me from trying.”


	21. Removal

**9:02 PM, Avenger’s Tower**

“You can’t be serious,” Natasha muttered incredulously with a shake of her head. “Darcy, dorky and sweet Darcy, did all of that.” 

“First of all Gumby, it’s Adorkable. You know the rule about nicknames- I give ‘em. And yes, that’s exactly what happened,” Tony replied. He stayed behind to help Melinda explain the situation to Bruce, Clint, Natasha, and Thor while Bobbi and Steve went to the lab to prepare for the procedures. “I still can’t believe it myself.” 

Pepper returned from the basement area where she threw Darcy’s bloody clothing into the laundry machine, all the while J.A.R.V.I.S. giving her a live feed of the conversation so it need not be repeated again. She sat down next to Natasha and folded her arms over her lap. “That’s…I don’t know what to say.” 

“I don’t think there’s much to say at this point,” Clint replied. “But S.H.I.E.L.D. is still intact, right? No repeat of the _last_ HYDRA fiasco?” Despite Steve’s absence from the conversation the topic of the Winter Soldier was still a very touchy one. Natasha shifted uncomfortably at the mere mention. 

“They should rename themselves ‘Cockroach’,” the redhead joked to diffuse the tension. “They don’t know when to quit…” 

“They don’t know **how** to quit,” Tony corrected. 

Melinda nodded. “Relatively speaking, yes, it’s as intact as it can be. Some of the agents with lower level clearance were given permission to help with the clean up, since they’re generally barred from those parts of the facility until they’ve undergone proper training under someone like Agent Morse. We also managed to round up a group of high ranking students from the academy to assist as well. One in particular from special ops really stood out; keep an eye out for a kid named Ward.” 

“HYDRA seems to have a S.H.I.E.L.D. infiltration fetish,” the archer said with a heavy sigh. “Not that I can blame them, considering we are a force to be reckoned with. Well, maybe not right now, but you know what I mean.” 

“We were hoping that we might be able to bring Dani down along with some Asgardian assistance to help speed the process along.” Tony glanced at Thor who shook his head. 

“I have neither influence nor authority. We also must remain mindful of the fact that our battle here extends far beyond HYDRA and Asgard has its own troubles to deal with.” For a brief moment he considered sharing his exchange with Amora but knew the mention of Danielle’s safety potentially compromised would prove itself to be a distraction to those on Earth, and the only ones Earth could depend on at that. 

“One thing at a time. For now we have three primary objectives.” Bruce held up his hand and began counting on his fingers. “Steve needs medical attention. Darcy is suffering from indescribable shock right now. If we have any hope for getting into Frost Enterprises to shut down their experiments we need to address those other issues first. Tony, Steve is going to need you present in case anything were to happen. Clint, you’re going to provide Bobbi with moral support. She made it very clear that she feels unprepared for this but she’s the only one we can rely on to do it. Ideally the amount of time Dr. Foster spends with Darcy is the same amount of time we’ll need to fix Steve. I can assist until Darcy is as ready as she can be to get back out there. I highly doubt she’ll want to sit this out after what she was forced to go through. And seeing as she trusts the two of you...” He turned to Natasha and Pepper. “And has a history with Thor then I think you three should be readily available for her if need be. Let’s focus on Darcy and Steve before coming up with a plan for Emma and HYDRA.” 

Everyone save for Melinda, who didn’t know Bruce as well as the others, visually expressed immense shock. Normally he was the sort of person to add his two cents or ‘speak when spoken to’ to contribute to conversation, not lead it himself. Once the five of them had a collective recollection that Darcy was involved and everything came full circle. 

“No issues with that plan.” Tony rose. “See you two in the lab, then?” Both Clint and Bruce and nodded before the mechanic made his departure. 

“Clint, how will you be able to help Bobbi perform any sort of surgical procedure?” Natasha asked after Tony left. “You have no formal medical training.” 

“At first she wanted me to perform the entire damn thing. She’s really nervous. This isn’t like setting a broken bone or using an inhaler. She has to remove the junk in his lungs that made him go berserk and kill a guy because he was completely out of touch with reality. The fact that it’s my friend _and_ Captain America only adds pressure. She has her notes on a flashdrive and you have the hard copies. She knows what to do, she’s just terrified of doing it. And let’s not forget this is an order too. Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. is falling apart she’s the only available agent we have to get the job done.” 

“The only agent we know we can trust, at that,” Melinda added and glanced towards the hallway to where Jane and Darcy were. “I don’t know why she thinks she’s in any condition to go into the field. I know she’s going to face situations like this in the future but after all the excitement she’s endured on her first day…I question whether or not this will prepare her or hinder her.” 

“With a little support from the seasoned veterans I think she’ll be okay,” he replied quietly. “I’m going to the lab. Coming Bruce?” 

He kept his gaze fixed on the hallway but still nodded. “Yeah. I’m coming.” 

* * *

**8:43 PM, Thor and Jane’s Room**

Darcy stepped out of the shower and grabbed the towel Jane lent her. She wrapped it around her shivering form and quickly dried off before changing into Jane’s spare clothes. “Why do you even have these with you? We were at base like, all day.” 

“Accidents happen in labs all the time. I like to be prepared.” Jane was sitting on the floor near the window, where the vermillion sunset was pouring through. She patted the spot next to her. “Come here and tell me what happened.” 

Darcy nodded slowly and wrapped her arms around herself as she sat next to her best friend. “I don’t think I can put this on my resume,” she muttered quietly. “You know, background checks. Employers tend to turn down convicted murderers.” 

Jane’s eyes widened. “Murder?” she gasped. “Did you…?” 

“The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. went crazy and wanted to kill Steve and, and there was this confrontation and…” 

* * *

**7:22 PM, S.H.I.E.L.D. Base, New York Chapter**

“Agent May, Agent Lewis.”  Melinda halted abruptly and Darcy almost walked into her.  Fury folded his hands behind his back and eyed the younger one.  “Aren’t you supposed to be training right now?” 

“I sprained my wrist,” she replied, suppressing a stutter to maintain a casual cadence.  If she spoke too quickly Darcy was certain she would arouse more suspicion than she probably had already. 

“And I’m escorting her so she doesn’t get lost.” 

_Is that supposed to be out of the goodness of her heart or an insult?  I’ve only gotten lost here three times.  In the same day._   “It’s already happened multiple times and I think it’s safe to say I’m a creature of habit.” 

“You seen to be handling the pain quite well,” he replied narrowing his eye at her.  

She rolled her shoulders casually.  “All part of the training, right?” 

He pursed his lips. “Right. You know Agent Lewis, your recruitment was rather sudden. In fact, I don’t recall authorizing it.” 

“You didn’t?” she gasped. “I had no idea, I swear.” She put up her arms in surrender. “I didn’t know.” 

_Sprained wrist, huh?_ “Uh huh. But Coulson did, didn’t he? In fact he was the one who signed all the paperwork. And considering you technically don’t have any clearance, you’re in possession of very sensitive information.” Fury drew a pistol from under his trench coat. “Information that isn’t supposed to leave this building without my God damned permission.” 

“Drop it Fury!” Coulson came out from around the corner behind him, aiming his pistol at the director’s head. “You’re no longer fit to be giving orders around here. Stand down.” 

He chuckled. “Oh? And you are?” 

“I said stand the fuck down!” 

“And what if I don’t?” He spun around and aimed at Coulson. As soon as his back was completely turned Melinda charged towards him so quickly Darcy barely caught her movements. She jumped up and scissor kicked him in the back of the head knocking him to the ground, but only seconds after he managed to pull the trigger on Coulson. He immediately collapsed to the ground, the bullet piercing his intestines. As Melinda tried wrestling the gun away from the director Darcy’s instincts immediately kicked in and as soon as he was on his back she tased him, allowing Melinda to kick the gun out of his hand and in Darcy’s direction in the process. 

Believing him to be unarmed she quickly rushed to Coulson’s side to assess the damage but Fury jumped to his feet, easily recovering from the electric shock. As he reached for another pistol Darcy dove for the one Melinda managed to relieve him of. Just as he prepared to kill the injured Coulson and unarmed Melinda the full chamber of a .454 Casull was emptied into his head, neck, and back. Darcy had never handled a handgun before and was practically shooting blindly but with her target being so close and so big she knew she didn’t run the risk of hitting the other two. 

Blood splattered onto the hospital room windows, the crisp white walls, the smooth tile floors, and all over the new agent. The first few shots were enough to kill him; first they hit his spinal cord which not only sent him into shock but paralyzed him and then pierced his lungs from behind. He fell to the ground with a heavy _THUD_ in between the three of them, pools of blood forming and spreading around him. 

Everything became a blur to the new agent. She could hear Melinda on the walkie talkie and assumed she was reporting Coulson’s injury but none of her words had been processed. She stood there shaking, still aiming the gun at him as if he may suddenly rise up and go for another round. She saw other agents come by and felt someone shaking her shoulders from behind. She recognized the voice and face, though she had never conversed with Commander Hill before. 

“Agent Lewis, talk to me. What happened?” she demanded. 

“She killed Fury,” Melinda replied stoically as the medical team arrived. 

“I told you I had another weapon with me.” Coulson managed a weak grin as he was lifted up onto the gurney. “You did good kid. Keep it up. Put that political science degree of yours to use to help rebuild this place. Be a leader.” 

“For the love of God, Phil, shut up!” Melina yelled in his face as they started to wheel him into one of the empty rooms. 

“Who knows? Maybe someday _you_ might be direct-” The hospital room door slammed shut, cutting him off. It wasn’t until she heard his voice that Darcy snapped back to reality. She dropped the gun and looked at her blood stained hands, which were violently trembling. 

“Did I…kill someone?” she breathed but collapsed before she could receive an answer. Hill, who was still behind her, caught her to keep her from hitting the floor. 

“From what I saw his intestines were torn,” Melinda reported grimly. “He has a chance to survive when they pull out the bullet but after that…” She looked up at Hill. “What now, Director?” 

“Now?” She looked around the area and gulped. It was finally over but the tasks awaiting them to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. were far more daunting and taxing than killing one deranged man. “We start rebuilding. Undo all the damage Fury did. Find a way to cut off all contact with the WSC. Get Steve and Tony back to the tower so Agent Morse can treat him. And Agent Lewis. When she comes to and some of the initial shock dies down I want the four of you to leave together. The agents here should be more than enough manpower to undo what’s been done to the building. But our chain of command is topsy-turvy now. There’s a kid over at the academy, special ops, who’s supposed to be a stellar student. Ward I think his name is. Barely fifteen but on par with Natasha, or so I’ve heard. I’ll get in touch with the academy and get their opinion on enlisting in his help.” 

“For?” 

“When I say cut off contact with the WSC, I mean get rid of any WSC for us to have contact with.” 

“You’re going to kill the council?” 

“They supported Fury in his attempt to kill Steve and dismantle the Avengers at any and every cost, which apparently included Coulson’s intestines and Lewis’ life. If we’re going to rebuild we’re doing it from the ground up. A fresh start. And that means severing any and every tie with organizations like the WSC.” 

* * *

**Present**

“Agent May told me about the conversation that happened after I passed out. They pulled the bullet out of Coulson and are stitching him up. But with his age the doctors didn’t seem very confident that his body would hold together for more than a few months. Agent May said he hopes he can hang around long enough to see Clint and Bobbi’s kids and when Danielle gets married, even if he can’t attend.” She pulled her legs up to her chest and dropped her chin to her knees. “I know it had to be done and I saved lives, but I’m gonna have nightmares for who knows how long.” 

“S.H.I.E.L.D. does have therapists who specialize in PTSD,” Jane reminded, rubbing Darcy’s back. 

“Pfft. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t have anything right now. There was something else we found during clean up.” Darcy turned to Jane. “S.H.I.E.L.D. took that scepter thingy Loki had used. But it was missing. Nowhere to be found. Here’s where it gets funky. No one took it. It just evaporated. Wonder where it went.” 

“Asgard I would assume. It’s powered by the Tesseract which Danielle apparently has some sort of connection to.” 

“Why does she get to have to all the fun?” 

* * *

**The Lab**

“Alright Steve, I need you to lie down and take a few deep breaths. Super Soldier or not this will be enough to knock you out. The last thing we want is for you to wake up in the middle of the surgery. It could place a great deal of pressure on your heart and-” 

“With all due respect Bobbi,” Steve interrupted and he got onto the makeshift operating table, “I think your heart is the one we should be more concerned about. Pregnancy aside, you look like you’re having an anxiety attack. Take some time to relax. There isn’t as great a time constraint as you might think. I trust you. You’re knowledgeable in the field. After what happened at S.H.I.E.L.D. I’ve become a little tense around doctors and needles but this isn’t about me and my well-being. This is about other people, innocent civilians. That’s why I’m able to remain so calm right now. What are you doing this for? Why do you want to stop this before it gets messier? What’s on the line for you?” 

“Alright Captain Motivational Speech, I get it.” She cracked a grin and filled a syringe with the sedative she fashioned specifically for the serum. “You ready?” 

“Yes ma’am.” 

“Need a countdown?” 

“I’m used to injections by now,” he snickered as he closed his eyes. “Go for it.” 

“OK. Here we go.” Bobbi pierced a vein in Steve’s right arm and emptied the contents inside, putting him under after a few minutes. He was already hooked up to an EKG machine and an IV. She tossed the needle and peeled off her gloves, sliding a pair of new ones on her hands. She donned a face mask and waited patiently for the others to come. While she waited she took his vitals; everything was running smoothly thus far. 

When Tony entered Bobbi ordered he sanitize and put on a pair of gloves and a mask. Clint and Bruce came not long after and followed the same procedure. 

“Alright, here’s how this works. The sedative I gave him will last for roughly one hour but I have more available should it wear off prematurely or the procedure lasts longer than that. The pathogen is located inside in his lungs. While we waited for you I took some quick x-rays with assistance from J.A.R.V.I.S. to locate the source and all lingering traces. The serum will increase the odds of this running smoothly as it will help in the removal of the foreign entity as well as the healing process. The pathogen was airborne, in the form of fungal spores. This is a very advanced form of fungi, as airborne fungal diseases are generally a result of mold and can go away on their own. In other cases they can linger and cause internal bleeding. This fungal spore is similar to mold and, though Steve’s reactions weren’t like that of an allergic reaction, I’m going to treat them that way while removing them. There are five lung nodules formed by the fungi. During surgical procedures to remove a lung nodule doctors aim to take as little tissue as possible but unfortunately that’s not an option for us. That makes this even riskier. The sedative hasn’t dulled the Super Soldier Serum so he’ll still heal quickly but even super soldiers aren’t immune to a nick in the respiratory system…One that can cause permanent damage.” She took a deep breath. 

“I’m going to make the first incision now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short, yes, meant to be transitional. Also, Tony calls Natasha 'Gumby' because she's super flexible, in case anyone was wondering where the nickname came from.


	22. If We Screw Up We're Screwed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unlike dA this site doesn't have notes so y'all over here have been left in the dark. I've been having some big computer problems for a few months which have gotten progressively worse. All I can ask is your patience. I'll try to update when I can.

Danielle was the first to awaken, and as such the first to initiate their master plan. She hated it but Loki would have felt the same had the burden fallen to him. There was fear on both ends but there was also confidence in each other and their tenacity. Above all, there was confidence in their shared ability to outwit Odin at his own game; a game he started and a game with rules they had every intention of breaking. 

Danielle sat in front of the fireplace, staring at the dancing flames and slowly kicking her feet back and forth. Her arms were settled on her lap and she was somewhat slouched over, though that proved to be more difficult than usual now that she was starting to show. 

_Guess it’s gonna be just you and me for a little while, maggot_. She sighed, remembering what the ethereal form of her unborn daughter had told her- they wouldn’t see each other again until she was born, and there was no way to determine when that would be. Danielle’s body was still running on ‘Midgard time’ and that made it all the more problematic; there existed a small possibility that wouldn’t make much of a difference despite the half-human blood but in theory only. 

She shook her head and sighed again. For all she knew Loki could’ve been feigning sleep to avoid having to do it and she didn’t blame him if he was, nor did she care to take the time to find out. Temporary goodbyes were already said last night and though it wasn’t the first time they’d done so, it wasn’t something she had made a habit of or excelled in coping at. 

She got dressed in her Midgardian clothes, perfect for maintaining her façade, but her jeans needed a spell placed on the waistline so they could ‘expand accordingly’. After hearing that her first instinct was to punch Loki in the face, thinking he was accusing her of having gained weight, until she remembered she would _continue_ to gain weight. Being pregnant is one thing, but not knowing for how long or the symptoms was a completely separate issue. Needless to say she wasn’t too keen on the idea of going beyond the average nine months. 

Danielle left the shared bedroom with an uncharacteristically slow pace, trying to take in what little time was left for it to be ‘theirs’. She needed a distraction and the only thing that came to mind was the last thing she should be doing to occupy her time- seeing Heimdall. The temptation to ask about her family was growing at a dangerously fast pace as the loneliness, courtesy of their plan, began to sink in. The closer she got to the gate, rather the farther she was Loki (wherever he was by that time), the more potent it became. 

“Good morning Lady Danielle.” 

“Yeah…about that whole ‘good’ thing…It’s not a thing. Or ‘Lady’ for that matter. Won’t be a thing for much longer.” Danielle slumped down on the ground not far from where Heimdall stood, hands planted on the ground behind her. “No matter what, no matter how many times I bug ya about it, you can’t tell me jackshit about my family and associates. Well, relevant associates. Can’t say I care too much for some of the interns at Stark Industries…There are some things I do wanna know, however. Need to know, actually. Regardless of me and Loki’s plan I’m still gonna be on the council because of the cube connection. What’s up with Vanaheim, Muspelheim, and Nidhogg?” 

“I have been watching Muspelheim for a few Midgardian hours now,” he replied, eyes fixed on what appeared to be nothing but an endless void to all but him. “Surt has begun to speak of the mists.” He looked at Danielle out of the corner of his eye. “If he and the fire giants are going to travel up Yggdrasil, they will have to find a way to pass through Midgard. It would be impossible for them to do so without scorching the realm in its entirety.” 

“…well…shit.” 

“He also said that they refuse to let their realm be destroyed and if they are to die, they will do so in battle against the source of this ‘cosmic commotion’,” Heimdall continued, returning his gaze to the abyss. 

“Me.” 

“Technically yes, but he was referring to Asgard.” 

“How can they prevent the realm from being destroyed? Especially if they plan on bookin’ it up the tree?” She raised an eyebrow. 

“Muspelheim is not a physical space in and of itself. It is wherever their sacred flames take up residence. Think of it as a terrarium. It must be filled with a simulation of a certain environment to support life. No amount of land would constitute as a hospitable home for the fire giants without their sacred flames engulfing it. They will bring this fire with them, to…‘If our realm is to suffer all realms will suffer, and this tree will turn to embers only we may nurture’. Those were his words. It sounds as though they wish to create a new world from the remains from Yggdrasil and all the realms tied to it, should they succeed. As hazardous as it is to the rest of us, it prevents the fires from touching the mist. Though we don’t know if contact between the two will undo the very creation that arose from their intertwining it is not a risk worth taking.” 

_Huge fires? Fuck me sideways…_ “That’s…cool…I can respect conviction.” 

He glanced down at her. “I am well aware of your fear. I saw what happened when you were an infant, though I wasn’t aware of your impending significance to Asgard at the time. I also know that your father once told you that ‘fear breeds courage’. Use it to motivate you. You’ve already come this far. There is no turning back even if you wanted to, but your progress is a direct result of your own efforts.” 

“Much easier said than done,” she said with a nervous squeak, trying to shake away the memories of extremus and the day she learned even superheroes have their limitations. 

“You have no choice.” He was blunt, almost terse, but still sensitive to the state she was in. 

“Yeah, yeah. What about Nidhogg and the mists? Still below Muspelheim obviously, but close enough for them to make their move. Ya might as well just use the gate to teleport those mofos to Vanaheim and force everyone’s hand before it hits Midgard.” 

“I have considered it…Thor will not leave Midgard, and it is the home of Jormungandr. If their flames were to enter Midgard, its fragility-” 

“Would turn my stepson into unagi, I know.” _I want sushi now…Damn it._

“Jormungandr once desperately clung to Midgard like a leech. This is the reason many of your Earth tales and art show him wrapped entirely around it.” 

“Like an ouroboros,” she said with a lazy sigh and leaned back, resting against her elbows. “I was pleasantly surprised to learn he’s not really that big.” 

“He clings again. Animals are very in tune with their natural surroundings, as I’m sure you know. He can feel Yggdrasil trembling. Now he trembles, and the waters around the island you call ‘Iceland’ are growing tumultuous.” 

Her shoulders dropped. “And he’s all alone,” Danielle muttered. “The other five, they’re all up here. They have each other. Even if Hel is going nutty she’s safe. But Jormungandr…doesn’t have that same kinda comfort.” 

“The sea rises. He sheds tears.” 

“Alright, alright, I get it, he’s flipping his shit! I would too if I were in his position…” 

“Merely reporting what I see.” 

“What’d I say about family, huh?” 

“Jormungandr is not your family yet. Not by law of any realm, not by blood of any vein.” 

“Can we at least have Thor go check on him or something?” 

“By whose order?” he scoffed. “One of the Allfather’s ravens is dead and the other hasn’t returned. Perhaps being held captive.” 

“Whisk him off to Iceland. You’ve got the capability.” 

“But not the authority.” 

“If Jormungandr is Loki’s son by blood of his vein and Loki is recognized as the only rightful heir by law of this realm then Jormungandr is royalty by law of this realm, even if he lives in another,” she pointed out. “His safety is a priority.” 

“You’re starting to sound dangerously well-versed in our politics.” 

“Good thing or bad thing?” 

“That remains to be seen.” 

“In other words you have no flippin’ clue. I should probably go check on the twins…I’m guessing they’re up by now. Today isn’t the day shit starts hitting the fan. Today is the day we start throwing it.” She bit her lower lip, embarrassed. “That sounded way more poetic and intelligent in my head,” she muttered as she rose and stretched, letting out a loud and obnoxious yawn. 

“Didn’t sleep well I take it?” 

“I’m about to go pretend that the wedding is called off, the engagement falls apart, the relationship gets terminated, and then we hate each other. Not necessarily in that order. Put yourself in my sneakers for a second. Tell me that pretending you’re about to destroy the one thing you love more than anything else in all the realms just to trick a massive douchbag into thinking he’s getting what he wants in order to sabotage his plans wouldn’t keep you up. Not only that, but knowing the kids you’ve come to see as your own kids are gonna be miserable. That the few people you can kinda sorta maybe possibly trust in a world whose citizens love you or hate you, no in between, will pick sides between two of the most polarizing people around. It’s funny in a way, if you look at it like that…The choosing sides, I mean. Had I not become besties with that blue monstrosity of a cube, Loki would’ve started Ragnarok and we’d be enemies. In becoming besties with the cube I started Ragnarok and we still have to be enemies…even if it’s an act.” She chuckled bitterly. 

“It’s time like this I really miss my family. Going for a run with my father at the crack of dawn, then coming back and having coffee. He could only drink bitter and black, though he would make an occasional exception for Americano. Because ‘Murica. Or watching the sunrise with Uncle Clint if he was awake early enough and then playing his old video games together. First person shooters were always my favorite. Oh yeah, and then there were the lazy Saturday mornings when me and Aunt Natasha would spend the morning huddled up on the couch under a super comfy blanket watching the stupidest romantic comedies just to mock them…She secretly loved them though, but she’d probably poison my food if I called her out on it. Nah, I guess it isn’t my family I miss. I miss being a kid _with_ my family. I didn’t have a lot of that growing up though, ya know?” She folded her arms over her chest. “That’s all the more reason to take Odin down. I barely know Vali and Narfi but I’ll be damned if I ever said I’m not attached to those little dudes. Sleipnir and I only spoke once and we got along better than I thought. Hel is in trouble and of course Loki feels a severe obligation to sever the strings that turned her into a puppet. Jormungandr is about to get fried. And Fenrir still gets treated like a demonic beast sometimes. They’ve all been deprived of a childhood, _period_. No one deserves that, not even people like Odin.” 

“You’re stalling out of fear.” 

“And nervousness. And anxiety. And-” 

“You’re still stalling.” 

“I wasn’t done talking! Asswipe…” 

* * *

“I really think it could help.” 

“It’s stupid, Vali.” 

“You’re just saying that because you’re insecure and ashamed,” the younger twin scoffed. “Look at it like this. Father and Danielle have their routine completely scripted out with a little wiggle room for the different reactions they’re gonna get. What if we had our own plan? Only as backup. This whole thing…it’s their idea. So of course we can’t come up with our own and expect it to blend in with theirs. But near the end…if it does go as planned…I think we should be ready.” 

“Ready for what?” Narfi raised an eyebrow curiously as he changed out of his sleepwear. 

Vali, who was still in bed, heaved a heavy sigh. “Everyone in Helheim is marching up here. And Hel did all she could to keep her away from us. It worked. But we’ll probably see her again. And even if she is a specter that doesn’t mean she doesn’t still scare me!” 

Narfi paused before awkwardly fumbling with the last of his buttons. “I guess I had forgotten about her. Out of sight, out of mind.” 

“She’ll be here though. She definitely hates Danielle. She hates father. And obviously us. So I wanna have something ready, at the very least, when Sigyn shows her fugly face.” 

“What the Helheim does ‘fugly’ mean?” 

“Danielle said it’s a mix of ‘fucking’ and ‘ugly’. As in ‘fucking ugly’.” 

“You sound and act more and more Midgardian by the day…” 

“Don’t say it like it’s a bad thing.” Vali sat up and stretched. “Are you gonna use this as a chance to take out your anger on Danielle?” 

“What anger?” 

“You don’t like her because you don’t know if you can trust her. You’re afraid to try and have a happy family because that didn’t go well the first time. Don’t deny it, Narfi. You’re my twin. I’ve been able to see right through you since as long as I can remember. A family scares you. I bet Hel feels the same. And…it’s okay to be nervous. But do me a favor and keep one thing in mind. Danielle would understand if you were scared about the whole thing and she’d let you have your space, even if you blew up at her or acted cold towards her. She would get it. So don’t think that doing any of that will scare her off or discourage her.” 

Narfi sneered at his twin and then brushed his comment aside. “Alright, elaborate on this plan of yours.” 

“You work more on your shapeshifting magic. We can definitely use that against Sigyn. And I’ll talk to-” 

Vali was interrupted by a soft knock on their door, followed by an equally soft voice asking if they were awake. The two exchanged nervous glances. Opening the door meant putting the dreaded plan into action. 

“Yeah, c’mon in.” Vali rubbed his eyes and yawned as Danielle stepped inside, closing the door behind herself. 

“Did you just say ‘Yeah, c’mon in?’. You sound-” 

“Like a Midgardian,” he finished. “You’re not the first to tell me.” 

“I never said there was anything wrong with it.” 

“Ya said it like it’s a bad thing though!” 

“For the love of Rumi, knock it off,” Danielle scolded, folding her arms over her chest. “There’s gonna be enough fake fighting going on ‘round here. I don’t want any actual fighting, especially between you two. I was gonna ask if you were ready but…I doubt you will be. Ever. It’s not something one can truly be ready for, I think.” 

“We can certainly act as though we are,” Narfi replied. “And if we become overwhelmed we already have someone in mind to take it out on.” 

“Sigyn?” 

“How dare you use such foul language in the presence in the kinda sorta princes of Asgard!” Vali mock-chided with a grin. “I’m really not looking forward to seeing her again.” 

“Anyone who is deserves to be punched in the kidneys.” She reflexively cracked her knuckles at the idea of encountering her. 

“Kidneys? Humans have more than one? No way! How many lungs do you have?” 

“Two…” 

“That’s so weird! Don’t tell me…You also have four stomachs, right?” 

“That’s a Midgardian bovine, you imbecile.” Narfi rolled his eyes. 

“Well she’s pregnant so she’s pretty much a cow in the making-” 

“Don’t freaking talk about me like I’m not standing right here!” she barked, then added with a self-conscious pout, “Do I look fat?” 

“Not yet,” the youngest said earnestly. Narfi was going to call him an imbecile again but the fire in Danielle’s eyes told him now was the time to be quiet. 

“…when this war is over,” she said in a dark tone as she opened their door, “you are so FUCKING grounded.” 

“What’s ‘grounded’?” 

“Midgardian parenting at its finest,” she hissed before slamming the door shut. Before the plan she and Loki could be put into motion there was one more person she needed to meet with- Frigga. 

As she made her way to the royal chambers, Loki awoke to find a bittersweet note she left for him. A preemptive apology of sorts for everything that was about to unfold in effort to put the war, and Odin, to an end. 

_Love me without fear. Trust me without wondering. Love me without restrictions. Want me without demand. Accept me how I am. A love like will be eternal._ ~Anonymous 

If she thought an apology was warranted, one coming in the form of a reminder of her undying love, it indicated that she took no issue with taking her façade to the extreme. Unsettling as it was to read, he was glad to see they were operating under the same mindset. He had no intention of holding back either. 

* * *

Odin was, as expected, in the throne room preparing for the impending war. Heimdall’s observation of Sutr’s next move had been relayed to the king, along with the suggestion of bringing them straight to Asgard so as to prevent further harm reaching Midgard. The king was considering the option but only because Thor remained in that realm and made it quite clear that he had no intention of leaving. Odin was still convinced that, when the battles and bloodshed began, he would see the light. 

His absence made it miraculously easy for Danielle to speak with Frigga alone in her quarters. Her request to do so made the guards somewhat suspicious, but she justified her visit by making mention of the queen being a patron of mothers and having concerns about her own maternity. Regardless of anyone’s opinions on the blonde Midgardian, jeopardizing the well-being of a future Agardian princess was not a risk that could be taken. Such activity would be tantamount to treason and punishable by death. 

Frigga was looking out a large window, one of many spanning along the glorious walls of the bedroom. Every time she entered a new place in the castle (arguably Asgard as a whole), be it dining hall or royal bedroom or infirmary, Danielle felt like an anachronism. The entire realm seemed to be a romanticized time capsule of the age of Viking conquests, minus the technological advancements and abundance of magic. The queen motioned for Danielle to come closer, gaze fixed on the world beyond the royal walls. 

“Today it begins,” she said quietly. 

Danielle rested her forearms on the window and nodded slowly. “Yeah, today’s the day.” 

“The plan is centered around my husband and liberation of my grandchildren.” Frigga glanced down at Danielle’s slumped form. “What of the war itself?” 

“We took that into account. It…isn’t as concrete as our plans for Odin and the rest of the family. But we considered as many possible outcomes we could think of and have plans for each.” 

“And if your plan results in an outcome you didn’t expect?” 

Danielle forced a laugh. “We’re not expecting anything on that front. But if it results in something we didn’t _anticipate_ we’ll wing it. Won’t have a choice,” she shrugged. “We’ve got allies who can play along, even if they don’t know what we’re really doing. We’ve got the kids, save for Hel, who do know and can adapt. The reason I wanted to talk to you though…You, me, and Loki never really talked about what you’re gonna do. Not as part of our plan like what Vali and Narfi are gonna do, but on the sidelines. As the queen.” 

“That is entirely dependent on your plan. Know that I cannot come to your defense, Danielle. Loki is rightful heir and if you are going to play the role as traitor, no matter what the people of Asgard make it of the claims Odin will make, I cannot help you.” 

“Not expecting you do. Again, I wanna know what you’re gonna do. Not what you’re not gonna do.” 

“I will have to continue to support my husband until the warring begins. For now I will remain the…what did you call it?” 

“‘Trophy wife’. Stand still, look pretty, be a coveted object Odin ‘won’. And pop out babies. Trophy wives are expected to do that too.” 

Frigga chuckled softly. “Another child, by blood or by law, would be the end of me. I already have my hands full with Thor and Loki alone. And Tyr is still a trouble maker himself, albeit far more belligerent than he was as a child.” 

Her eyes lit up. “Ooh, I smell a story there!” 

“There will be plenty of time to share family stories afterward. After all, this family tree will be losing branches.” 

“Nah. The way I see it the family tree is getting uprooted and a new seed is gonna be planted, and we’ll all have to come together to nurture it into one far stronger than what’s already in place. I mean, when me and Loki do get married then my parents will be joining the family tree for fuck’s sake. And my family is nutty enough as is. No point in bringing two trees together and getting them all tangled and twisted around each other.” She laced her fingers together and wiggled them. “Know what I mean? I think what we need, the people and the realms, is a new tree. A stronger one. A stable one. One the people can rely on, not fear.” She shook her head. “When I was two my father had to deal with that crap, people in power trying to maintain their positions by making people fear them. Not respect them, not be a source of hope or inspiration. A new world order built on fear or some shit like that. The exact same people are the assfaces my family is trying to do away with on Midgard. The ones who claim to fight in Odin’s name, at that.” 

“Are you prepared to die for a world you aren’t bound to?” 

“Huh?” Danielle straightened up and quirked an eyebrow at Frigga. “That’s a weird question. I _am_ bound to Asgard, for one. And ya know what? If it comes to that, protecting this place and the people and my family…yeah, I would. I’d prefer it not involve a shitload of fire but beggars can’t be choosers. Neither can people who are dying.” 

“And are you ready for the responsibilities of a queen that await you after the war is over, assuming we emerge triumphant and alive?” 

“No one’s briefed me, and I can’t be ready for something I know nothing about. And that’s not really something you pick up as you go, is it?” 

“If and when the time comes, I will be more than happy to teach you.” 

“Awesome. I’m really glad we can count on you throughout this whole mess. Not that I expected otherwise…Just didn’t really know what to make of it all. So…let’s get ready to kick ass and take names.” Danielle extended a fist. The queen looked at her bewildered, almost startled as though she feared Danielle was going to punch her. Sensing the confusion she took Frigga’s hand, folded her fingers into a fist, and pressed their knuckles together. “Midgardian thing, like the pinky swear,” she replied casually. 

Frigga looked at her hand, mildly intrigued. “And…what does it signify?” 

“The fist bump? Well…a couple things. Sometimes it’s congratulatory, done after a huge accomplishment. Other times it’s done before _undergoing_ something huge…Like a battle cry!” _Best analogy to offer a Norse deity…_ “So…as soon as I leave this room, you’ll be the Cersei to my Margery. At least I get to be a cool character.” 

“Hm…I always fancied myself more akin to Catlyn.” 

“Well yeah but-…You got that reference?!”


	23. Growing Pains to Royal Pains (Or, Why Asgard Doesn't Celebrate Arbor Day)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCK ME. I've had most of this sitting for so long, you have no fucking idea, and I've been trying to expand but whenever I do my head hits a roadblock. I thought maybe I'd lost my connection with the story but that's not the case; if it were I wouldn't daydream about it all the time and keep scribbling down future ideas. Sometimes...we just need a filler/exposition chapter, ya know? And this is it. This is all I can offer right now. And after editing and what not, I think it's all I should offer. There's so much going on but it's difficult to keep transitioning to it all so fluidly like I used to before. I think I expected too much from myself and that's why you all were left hanging for so long.
> 
> I've got an assload of journals up on dA about what's been going on lately that's been keeping me from writing. Getting sick multiple times in multiple ways for varying lengths of time, working full time, getting engaged, more family drama than usual...Funny, my family drama was actually most of the inspiration for Growing Pains. My parents were getting divorced and my brother used to HATE my at-the-time-boyfriend-now-fiance. Sound familiar?
> 
> Really, this is all I can do for a new chapter. I would say I hope it's enough but if it's all I can do, that means it's all I can do for now. So...if anyone's still reading this...just stay tuned. I'm not dead. Neither is the story. Or any characters...yet. See? I wouldn't be dropping spoilers if I didn't have plans to continue. That'd be too cruel even for me.
> 
> Heavy references to Norse mythology here, so you might wanna brush up on the tale of Ragnarok real quick (not to be confused with the Marvel comic story or upcoming movie). Any confusion caused will be clarified in the comments, just ask away. I know, it is a bit wordy and loaded.

The spirit of the Tesseract, as it was once known, made it quite clear that it would no longer contact Danielle.  The ‘spirit’, the pieces of her future child that were strung together by her actions after the cube chose her, didn’t need to use the mystical object anymore.  The unborn child already had a potent enough connection in the present.

While they were still in communication the cube had shown an ability to connect with Loki as well.  Unlike Danielle, who had the child growing inside her, he lacked a direct connection to the child.  That is to say, there was no reason that the cube needed to sever ties with him.

That _she_ needed to sever ties with him.  Not yet.  

Even if he wouldn’t be able to recall their encounter the impact it had on him was potent nonetheless.  He awoke hearing fragmented echoes of an unfamiliar but comforting voice.  It wasn’t a fading dream or a premonition, but something much deeper and stronger.  That was the only way Loki could describe it.  It wasn’t that she was erasing memories of their encounter but, much like everything else about the specter of the future, the time simply wasn’t right.  Until then, it would remain…

_ ‘Just another beautiful secret.’ _  ‘Just’ implying that it was irrelevant, for now.  ‘Another’ implying it wasn’t the first and probably wouldn’t be the last.  It was the ‘beautiful secret’ part that he found himself meditating on.  The voice relaying those words to him placed great emphasis on the last two.

It amazed him how quickly everything had escalated.  The forced engagement aside there were a few bizarre nightmares sent from a not-quite-future-not-yet-present unborn princess of Asgard, originally manifesting herself as the spirit of the Tesseract.  In a Midgardian week they ventured to Asgard only to learn of conspiracies interwoven throughout the realms, all of which originated from the top of Yggdrasil.  Both of their lives had been threatened more times than he cared to count, mostly because the majority of it was done behind their backs.  The seemingly weakly woven universe was preparing to unravel.  He was on the verge of losing his third child to her inner darkness.  All because, eight years ago, Danielle touched a swirly blue box. 

_ Wait...that can’t be possible _ , he thought to himself, still holding the note she left for him that morning.   _ The Tesseract chose her years ago, before this entity could take any sort of form.  Meaning the ‘spirit of Tesseract’ was...Was what?  Independent of the Tesseract itself?  Using it as a ruse to establish a means of communication?  But how?  Unless...Danielle...wasn’t the one chosen by the cube...That can’t be possible either!  The moment she touched it, it decided -based on her actions and her perceptions- that Ragnarok would be rewritten.   _ His eyes lit up.  

_If it was_ ** _re_** _written...then was there already a future in which Ragnarok occurred...as originally predicted?  I’d completely forgotten that.  Had her heart been judged otherwise, or never judged at all, that future would’ve happened.  It was guaranteed to happen.  Instead, a new timeline was formed...an empty one.  That’s why Ragnarok took this long to start.  That’s why the ‘spirit of Tesseract’ delayed communication._ ** _She_** _waited until her conception to ensure the newly written future bore no semblance to the dead prophecy._ ** _She_** _delivered the new one._ ** _She_** _wrote_ _the new one.  Danielle didn’t start Ragnarok.  Even if she were to leave Asgard, so long as we have a child the other realms will still demand blood._

_...Allow harm to come to this new blood and I will never forgive you... _

He heard his own voice echo in his head.  They were words he never spoke but was all too familiar with from one of Danielle’s many nightmares.

_...Blood sustains life, but your new blood with spell out your death... _

Another echo from a nightmare, this time Angrboda’s words.

“We were wrong,” Loki realized.  “Danielle isn’t Odin’s target.  His real target isn’t even born yet.”

 

* * *

Skuld, Urd, and Verdandi were three separate people with a connected purpose.  They had distinct personalities but acted as three facets of one entity- life itself.  Only once before had their authority been challenged after Hel’s fall from the Bifrost.  The fall stole her pale skin, but where her complexion was lost and bones broken her resolve was stronger than ever.  In building her palace, one which would flourish into an empire, she created a hall of her own the likes of which put other Norse Gods and giants to shame.  Using nothing but a desire for a revenge and the bones she found across the wastes of Nifleheim she built not only a palace but power, raw power, and influence over death itself.  Souls were beginning to migrate to her realm and establish themselves under her domain.  She made a bargain with the wasteland, sacrificing her flesh to stay alive, and she gained more than her right to live- she gained power over life by owning the dead.

The three sisters didn’t foresee this despite their power, despite their ability to tap into the future.  Hel’s influence came from death, not life.  It was outside of their reach, a completely different area of information.  But she never posed a threat or upset a natural balance.  She was simply...a new knot in the threads.  

They once told the Allfather the original Ragnarok was a lie from the start.  And though they did in fact lie, that was not their fabrication.  Their fabrication stemmed from fear of their own inadequacy when they learned that, once again, they were challenged.  Once again, they were challenged successfully.  And, once again, it was by an offspring of Loki.  That came as no surprise.

They saw a Ragnarok in which he would lead an army on a ship made of the nails of dead men, following a winter lasting years.  They thought it to be literal, and humans were warned to remove the fingernails of their fallen so no such ship could be built.  It was purely symbolic.  What they saw was what they were allowed to see.  Just as they have no control of the fate of the deceased, as they are the writers of life, they also have no control over life yet to begin.  What they saw was a warning that their worlds, that Odin’s dynasty, would crumble, and Loki would be to blame.  But it wasn’t an army of the dead he would lead; the army of the dead was an inevitable result of Loki’s actions.  He would not lead them, but they would follow.  There was no long winter, but a new dynasty would be created by a frost giant and it would take record time for the realms to accept this.

Would Fenrir kill Odin?  Would Jormunngandr and Thor duel?  It was impossible to say.  And if not, what did these pieces of Ragnarok symbolize?

Ultimately it didn’t matter.  Now that the ‘seemingly endless winter’ has elapsed, the Norns knew not only were they liars, they had been lied to.  Lied to by an entity from the future that should not have able to contact them thousands of years ago.  Lied to by an entity with no known identity or connections save for a few Midgardian days ago.  Lied to by an entity that couldn’t even establish connection until her future mother would touch the Tesseract eight Midgardian years ago.

Ragnarok, as both prophecy and promise, was ancient and arguably existed long before life itself began (even if there was no one alive to comprehend it).  There was only one thing which predated the known universe, predated the time and space around which the confusing prophecy could revolve around.  And that thing was on the verge of unraveling.

“It sounds preposterous,” Verdandi sulked.  “Outsmarted by a tree.”

Skuld raised an eyebrow.  “A tree?  A  _ tree _ ?  You speak of Yggdrasil as though it is a mere sapling.  Is it really so bizarre so think that the puppetmaster who guided even our hands, the hands of the fate weavers, would be an entity residing in or representative of the tree?  It lives and breathes and, like all living and breathing things, will fight back to prevent its demise.”

“Then this entity is not speaking from the future,” Urd surmised.  “It is speaking from the future that will come to pass...based on what little has happened to shape it thus far, starting when Ragnarok began.  There is no time travel involved.  It has always been here.  It simply needed a way to communicate...and it had no reason to do so until now.”

“Now I’m even more confused.”  The youngest started pacing.  “It knew when and how the real Ragnarok would happen.  It lied to us so we would lie to others, taking advantage of the multiple levels of deception...To do what, exactly?  To find a way to save itself when Ragnarok came?”

“So it would seem,” Skuld replied.  “But instead of relying on others as it has done for eons, it has decided to take a living form.  That of an Asgardian royal no less, allowing it to continue retaining its watch and authority over all the realms.  For something to be reborn, it must first die.  It started Ragnarok, it invited its own demise, and now it can have new life.”

“Invite its demise?  No.  I doubt that.  Even Yggdrasil will begin to rot in its old age.  Knowing that, all the more reason to throw the universe into chaos and disarray.  If the Cosmic Ash is going to rebuild itself, so too must the realms which rely on it to survive.  It is impossible to say, and we accomplish nothing trying to understand the motives of something so inherently deceitful and secretive.”

Verdandi snorted.  “How appropriate it take living form as a child of the Liesmith.  What shall we do with this information?”

Skuld shrugged.  “The people trust Loki more than they do us, though honestly I can’t blame them.  We didn’t know we were being manipulated, and as such had no opportunity for redemption.  However, this probably isn’t something that should be made public.  Personally I am of the opinion that only the parents need to know.  What say you?” 

Urd was already scribbling a letter, one written in magical ink that could only be seen by the intended recipients- Loki and Danielle.

 

* * *

**11:28 PM, Avenger’s Mansion**

The surgery was complete and Steve was asleep, in recovery mode down in the lab.  To keep his mind off of it Tony opted to initiate a potentially risky conversation with Pepper, and by proxy Natasha.  Bobbi, relieved more than words could express that the she hadn’t severely injured Captain America, was in the kitchen drinking a shot gloss of water, pretending it was celebratory whisky.  Jane was asking Thor about everyone in Asgard and his thoughts on how the war would affect the human realm.  Clint and Melinda were brainstorming ways that S.H.I.E.L.D. could be rebuilt...again.  Darcy was listening in to get a better understanding of the inner workings on the secretive organization but she kept nodding off.  Bruce was waiting in the lab so Steve would have a familiar face to wake up to instead lifeless suits and clumsy (but always well meaning) Dum-E.

“You built me a suit.”  Pepper folded her arms over her chest.  It wasn’t a question, but rather an incredulous ‘I must be asleep right now’ sort of statement.  “I don’t recall asking for one.”

“Or needing one,” Natasha added giving Tony a warning look.  The ‘I know you’re up to something, so spit it out before I choke it out of you’ sort of look.

“You’re a target of these Neo Nazis, but unlike the rest of us.”  He motioned around towards the upper floors where everyone was.  “You can’t...do anything.  Do you really wanna keep your title of Honorary Damsel in Distress?  It’s not for combat, only defense, hence the name ‘Rescue’.”

“Rescue?  That screams ‘Damsel in Distress’,” the strawberry blonde snorted.

“As in  _ defensive _ abilities, not because you need to be defended.  Admit it, it would feel pretty awesome being able to magnetically repel falling debris to keep it from falling on civilians.”

“Sound more like someone to buff the party.”

“Natasha, did you really just compare the Avengers to a video game?  We don’t run around carrying out seemingly remedial tasks for everyday citizens at the behest of some higher authority to get access to upgraded weapons and armor as part of a linear storyline that’s only compensated for by vast amounts of character customization- Holy shit, we’re an RPG.  Think we can capitalize off that?”

Pepper pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned.  “I’ll pitch it to the board,” she muttered sarcastically.  “But if I’m being completely honest...The idea of not feeling as though I’ll always need someone to come to my rescue is appealing.  It would be nice to be the one doing the rescuing for a change, especially in the middle of an interdimensional war only a select few know about.  Those with the knowledge and resources should use it to their advantage, right?  I can’t be of much help trying to save the world holed up in my office...If I still had one,” she quickly added.  “Give me some time to think about it.”

“All you need to do is say the word and we can take it for a test run.”


	24. Author's Note

It breaks my heart to say this, but I must put this story on indefinite hiatus. With this Neo Nazi movement in the U.S. I cannot in good conscience work on this story as it heavily features themes regarding Neo Nazis, nationalism, etc. Even if some of it is canon from the Marvel universe, even if it's fictional, I sincerely feel it inappropriate. I know it's not promoting Neo Nazi ideology, but I feel it is in a sense 'normalizing' it by using it as a trope, a backdrop, and the like. In order to keep working on this series while this story is on hold, I will start tackling the ideas I've had for one-shots and drabbles that take place in the RaW Marvel universe.

Thank you for understanding.

~TaoAndThen


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